Can't Cry Book Two: Gestört
by Spork Weilding Canary Of Doom
Summary: The Flock has just overcome one of the greatest challenges they have ever faced: Defeating the evil scientists that made Fang almost lose his sanity. What they don't know is that an even greater threat looms in the horizon: Defeating Fang himself.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own this prologue.

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Can't Cry Book Two: Gestört

Prologue

Ever wonder what happens when we hold in aggression? When we hold in pain and hurt and destruction? It builds and builds until it finally collapses… until it finally explodes. All those emotions that one holds in cause madness or even worse…

…Suicide.

What we fail to understand is that those who hold in those emotions do not need to be strapped to a table and sedated. That never solves the problem. Never.

So what do we do?

Ignore it?

Never…

Because those emotions will continue to build in that one person. Slowly, but surely. And those emotions can get so strong that if that person is forced to live…

…If they are not allowed to kill themselves…

…Those emotions will surpass control.

The person will certainly no longer want to die…

…No…

…They will want to kill.


	2. Apparitions

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

…The beginning to the Second Book of Can't Cry...

…And possibly the beginning to the End…

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Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter One: Apparitions

It was a cool night, one of many to grace the winter evenings. As the season waxed on the nights had grown much colder, forcing many of nature's creatures to hibernate and keep warm until the winter had passed. All, that is, except for a certain group of unnatural creatures, the ones who defied nature and its extremes. The Flock.

The cool air beat fiercely into the faces of six bird kids and one mutant dog as they flew at almost freezing altitudes. Max had taken the lead and the flock had formed a 'V' resembling that of geese. On her left was Iggy, his blind eyes open and seemingly immune to the frosty air. His heavy jacket seemed awkward with his wings protruding from them. His strawberry-blonde hair was waving about in the wind, desperately in need of a haircut.

To her right was the ever-talkative Nudge. Her eyes squinted in the cool air as they flew; her purple felt jacket buttoned to the neck. She caught Max eyeing her and smiled. Poking his head out from between two large buttons in Nudge's jacket was Total, the talking mutant dog. He shivered in her grasp.

Directly behind Nudge was Angel. The girl's long golden hair was tied back into a ponytail and held with a pink ribbon. Her rosy cheeks were only slightly protected by the faux fur lining on her pink puffy jacket. Her wings beat tiredly as she kept up with the slow pace of the flock. Occasionally the Gasman, who was to her right, would wipe her watering eyes with his mitten. He appeared just as cold as his sister and would often hug his jacket tighter around his skinny arms. He was getting so big now, all of them were.

Max sighed as she watched them. She was now 15, a whole year older since… Well, since things changed. She remembered everything before those changes… the secrets, the lies, the pain. She shook her head as she tried to forget, but she knew that she never could. There was nothing that could tear those fragile yet disturbing memories from her mind. What was worse, at least in her mind, was that it hadn't been her to suffer. No, she had allowed one of her own flock to go through so much agony. It tortured her still that she hadn't been able to do something about it… to help. A cough next to her startled her from her reverie.

Fang was flying silently beside her, but his dark eyes looked into hers. Max stared at him dumbly a moment before blushing and turning away.

"What?" she said indignantly.

"When do you plan on stopping? I'm sure you saw that the little ones are starting to get tired," he said quietly. Max glanced back at her flock again.

"They aren't so little anymore…" she responded.

"True," Fang replied. They both were silent again. Max glanced at Fang out of the corner of her eye. His black hair was being blown about in the wind. He hadn't bothered cutting it since… She couldn't stop from shuddering. After the incident Fang had chopped all of his hair off, but it grew back in a shaggy sort of way and now covered his ears, occasionally shielding his eyes. She didn't like the barrier it created, but she didn't complain too much to Fang about what he did anymore.

His black jacket, resembling that of a military jacket, was buttoned up completely and a black and white striped scarf was wrapped around his neck. Max stifled a giggle. She didn't know much about fashion, but Fang seemed to enjoy the subtle chore of having a style. She figured it was because he really had nothing else, just like the rest of the flock. _Not true_, she told herself. _We have each other_.

She turned to the other flock members and issued the command to descend. She had spotted an old motel below in the middle of the desert beneath them. Ghost towns weren't totally unheard of, but she felt a spike of luck at such convenience. It would do nicely for a resting place and a shelter against the cold. Slowly, and gracefully, each member descended.

-+-

The beans were cold and tasted strange, but the flock didn't complain. They were too tired and too exhausted to care. The dusty beds weren't too uncomfortable, either. As expected, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel all fell asleep on them as soon as their heads hit the pillows. Max was ready to crawl into the old chair when she saw Fang don his coat. She was worried he was going flying, but he didn't grab his scarf. Instead, he stepped outside and, judging from the protest of the wood, sat on the steps. Max looked at Iggy, who was facing the door.

"I'll keep an eye on them," he whispered. Max sighed.

"Thank you," she replied.

She stepped outside the room and looked longingly at Fang's back. It was relieving that the air wasn't as harsh once on the ground and found it peaceful just watching Fang sit there. He seemed at peace in the darkness of the night; Max knew why. Darkness was a part of Fang, no matter how happy he seemed… She wasn't stupid. So, in an attempted to lighten Fang's darkness, she quietly walked over and sat by him.

He didn't acknowledge her at first; just simply looked out onto the vacant, dead, dry desert land. Finally, after a long silence, he spoke.

"There's no life and yet… it's so peaceful," he said quietly. Max watched him carefully. "I bet this is what death is like." Max's eyes widened slightly, but she hid it from Fang. She tried to keep the worry out of her voice.

"I think death would be awfully boring if it were like this… No friends… No family…" She hugged her knees. Fang looked at her a second before placing a gentle hand on her cheek.

"Max," he said, just low enough so that only she could hear. Max blushed furiously.

"Well," she mumbled. "I'm just saying…" She kicked herself mentally. _Way to look stupid, Max_. Thankfully, a yawn came to her rescue. "Well, I'm beat. Don't stay up too late!" With a light pat on Fang's back she rushed indoors. _Stupid, Max_, she thought to herself. _He's out there all alone and you're so stupid…STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!_ She gazed out the window at Fang's lonely form. _Stupid…_

-+-

Fang dropped his gaze from the closed door. His smile faded, the usual sad expression resuming his features. He had worn that peaceful expression for so long that its façade was starting to crack. He could feel the tension in his stomach returning as his shoulders slumped and that ever-growing headache returned. His eyes dulled and the black landscape beyond the reach of the faint light began to dance with strange shadowy figures.

Fang grinned slightly as the figures just barely manifested into strange and exotic creatures of terror and malice. They danced and howled silently, only heard by Fang's ears. They did, after all, come from his head.

He knew that holding in these nightmares would take the ultimate toll on him sooner or later. He had told Max that the terrors were gone and he felt them no more. The barriers he put up fooled even Angel… And all the while the demons and rage and hurt would build up inside him… He WANTED the things to come out… He WANTED to hurt someone… anyone… so that those creatures would stop tearing him apart from the inside out.

Madness reached his grin as the creatures grew in fury and disturbance. They chanted and breathed fowl breaths of death and decay. And all the while those demons stayed locked inside him, unable to release their fury.

Fang drew in the apparitions. Instantly, he felt the usual, quick sickness that came with it and managed to turn away from the steps and heave the few contents of his stomach. Quickly he buried the bile with the plentiful dirt and the evidence was gone. Still, the mad look infiltrated his eyes.

The look of the Deranged.


	3. Reflection And Regeneration

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Canary: Hello, all! I bet some of you are like "Ohmigosh… ANOTHER Can't Cry? LADY! You're DONE! XD Actually, I've been planning on a sequel since before Book One was finished. Heh, I just wasn't sure how to start it until a few days ago.

Calamity: And now, onto the story!

Canary: (P.S. I asked my friends what they thought I should name Book Two and one said "Can't Cry Two: Still Cryin'." XD)

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Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Two: Reflection And Regeneration

The morning came sooner than anticipated. The flock was slowly rousing themselves from bed as the sun crept through the broken windows. Surprisingly, they had all slept soundly despite the cold outdoors.

Max rustled Angle and the Gasman from their beds and Iggy went straight to the business of fixing up an instant breakfast. Nudge insisted on doing Angel's hair, to which the younger, fretful child refused until Nudge finally promised that Angel could do her hair as well. Everything was quickly underway, the flock starting to eat their not-so-lovely breakfast, when Max realized something.

There was no Fang among them.

"Fang!" she shouted suddenly, springing to her feet. Iggy scowled and tugged her pant leg.

"_Sit down_," he said irritably. "He's here, he's just sleeping. We figured it best not to wake him. I can't believe that you didn't realize until now." Max tried to relax her breathing as she processed the information slowly. She knew Fang was in an odd mood last night, but she was scared… scared that he had left them. She knew he promised, but she learned the hard way the Fang was an excellent liar.

She looked over at the slumbering form in the corner. Fang's head was tilted, resting to one side, his face actually visible. His skin didn't seem so pale, his taunt cheeks a little fuller, and his eyes looked more peaceful than they usually did. All in all, his slowly breathing form looked the most relaxed Max had seen it in a long while. She couldn't help but stare at him, his dark wings even outstretched and relaxed.

"He's been sleeping like that all night. Ever since he came in… It's like a little of the load that he seems to carry on his shoulders all the time has been lifted," Iggy said. Nudge and Angel suddenly popped up and exclaimed the prettiness of each other's bows. Max smiled kindly and left the two to talk to Iggy and Gazzy as well as clean up some of their belongings. They would have to depart soon.

"Why don't you guys go ahead and pack your things up. We can let Fang sleep a little longer," Max said. Everyone agreed and packed things away quickly, ready to be off. Fang's belongings were all inside his small black book bag, so he didn't need to worry about packing, Max reasoned. It would be alright for him to sleep a little while longer.

But, it was over with sooner than expected. Max ushered everyone out the door. "I'll get him up. Just wait outside and get ready to take off," she instructed. Everyone silently obeyed, leaving the two bird kids alone in the old, dusty hotel room.

Max stepped quietly over to Fang's form. He had shed his jacket at some point in the night, baring his bare arms under a tight fitting black t-shirt. Max eyed the smooth, pale skin that covered his forearms, laced delicately with painful scars. She couldn't help but run a finger down the smooth skin. Fang wasn't lying to her after all. He had stopped his self-infliction completely.

At a second stroke of her finger Fang's eyes fluttered open. His eyes met Max's, which just so happen to be inches from his face. Slowly, he leaned forward and left a small kiss on her cheek. Her eyes widened impossibly. It took her a minute to gather her bearings, Fang watching her with an amused expression. Finally, she just grimaced.

"Oh, shut up!" she said. "Get yer lazy ass up! We're leaving!" Max didn't understand how she had lived with someone her whole life and now, just now, she was starting to trip up when it came to him. She stood up suddenly. "So… yeah, see you outside," she said, her mood pulling a complete 180. She quickly rushed out of the room before she made ever more of a fool of herself.

Fang sat there silently smiling to himself. He hadn't slept so well in ages. Letting some of the nightmare out of him had helped lessen the pain inside. He smirked, though the madness of his last grin was replaced with sadness. He had to be careful… becoming the one thing he feared could be just as addicting as the self-mutilation. He stood, wrapping his scarf around his neck and grabbing his book bag. He knew that things would have to come out into the open sooner or later, but for now… for now he would keep pretending.

For now…

-+-

The computer monitors beeped and scanned, sending numbers flying across the screens in incalculable rates. The information was racing through the modems as they processed the continual progress of their latest target: a single person in the room surveyed the scientific process as the numbers flew. He sipped idly on his coffee.

Ivan Kulikov sat patiently as the numbers reflected on his small, frameless glasses. He had been surveying the mutant known as Fang for some time now, almost a year. Ever since the failure in America the Russian Branch of Itex known as Регенерация (Regeneration) had been keeping a close eye on what could possibly be the world's next super-weapon. The results involving the TS-F Chamber Experiments were simply so astounding that the Regeneration Branch wanted their hands on the files as soon as the American Branch, known then as Reflection, went under. In fact, some of the members of Regeneration secretly wanted the Relfection Branch to go under. It was that much sooner that they would get their hands on that super-weapon.

Sadly, as Ivan knew, it wouldn't be that easy. The TS-F Chamber Experiments were only successful in giving the creature, Fang, a mother load of ammo. As far as restraining him and commanding him, Jeb Batchelder had failed miserably… And paid with his life. Ivan chuckled at the death of his former college. It was so Frankenstien in nature… it brought humor to his otherwise dull life.

The screen blinking rapidly drew his attention and he watched the array of numbers switch drastically in pattern. It took several years to finally understand the numbers and what they meant, especially when they went zooming across the screen as such, but Ivan had never had trouble with memorizing them. It was an envied trait. He sucked in a breath as a certain trail of numbers went across the screen. Then, he grinned.

"So…" he said in a heavy russian accent. "The subject still uses his power… Good. He hasn't abandoned it. That would be a shame," he said. Had Fang completely supressed his powers, as the past data was beginning to imply, it meant that the subject had most likely resorted to it's past habits of self-mutilation. This would put a major kink in the plans that Regeneration had for him, because the subject needed to be in fit physical condition. After observing the physical reports from a year before from Reflection it was obvious that self-mutilation would not be allowed once the subject was detained.

What irked Ivan the most, though, was that his team was not allowed to go in and apprehend the subject as soon as they locked onto its location. The head of the board at Regeneration had said that the subject needed at least a year to recover from the idiocy that Reflection had inflicted onto him. Ivan was also informed that this time would allow the branch to analyze the subject as well as give Fang time to develop his power. After a year of nothing from the subject Ivan was beginning to lose hope.

But, now, he had that flicker inside him again. The subject had used some of his ability, even though the amount was miniscule, and that meant that he was most likely not self-mutilating. Now they would be able to obtain him, Ivan concluded with glee. Now they would be able to bring out his full potential. What Reflection experienced a year ago…

…that was only a _fraction_ of what Fang was capable of.


	4. Didn't Mean Murder

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Canary: Oh dear! I am SO sorry that those past two chapters were so… so SHORT! I didn't intend that, heh. I didn't even realize until I reread them. XD Sorry.

Calamity: Yeah, yeah, moving on.

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Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Three: Didn't Mean Murder

The air was swirling coolly about the flock as they walked through the snowy park. The benches were covered with the soft blanket and branches also bore the snowy coat. It was a delightful detour that the whole flock enjoyed as they stopped and rested. The scenery was extremely picturesque.

The Gasman rolled up a snowball and chucked it at Angel, who instinctively cried out. Max's ears perked at the sound, but she was relieved to see that she wasn't in any real danger. Sadly, her demeanor was destroyed yet again as something went whizzing through the air and collided with the side of her head, sending icy tendrils down her spine. A perfectly formed snowball. She sat up quickly and saw a grinning, laughing Fang. For a moment, time stopped and she had to gain her bearings. It had been a long time since he last laughed.

"All work and no play makes Max a dull duck," he said as he cleared some snow from the bench and sat next to her. Max frowned at him and crossed her arms.

"That was _totally_ uncalled for. I almost thought I was being attacked, had it not been for that nice, refreshing snow freezing my skin to the bones," she said sarcastically. Fang chuckled, the sound melodic.

"Hey now," he said playfully, "you can't get too upset with me… I brought you a treat." He held out a sort of potato-looking thing wrapped in a cute, but cheap cloth. The steam tickled Max's nose.

"What's this?" she asked, taking the treat from him.

"A steaming sweet potato. They're good," Fang answered, taking a bite into his own. "I got some for everyone, but it looks like they're having too much fun drowning each other in snow," he commented. Iggy was busy expertly dodging the snowballs thrown by Gazzy and Nudge and Angel were making legions of snow-angels, which Total tried to mimic, but wasn't very successful. Max chuckled and bit into the potato. It's sweet texture surprised her and she grinned.

"Yum," she replied. She watched the scene play out before her. It was so peaceful… so lovely… she never wanted it to end. It was sad how she always had those moments… because they always passed by. Fang sighed contently to himself and stood. "Where're you going?" Max asked. He absence left the cold biting into her side. Fang's gaze was gentle as he spoke to her. It made Max blush.

"I'm going to find something to drink. This sweet potato gave me cotton mouth," he said. Max nodded and smiled as she watched him walk away. Things were falling nicely into place. She had a feeling that they would finally be able to move on

Fang watched her turn back to the flock and observe their play. His thoughts were right along with Max's. The whole scene… It was like something from a movie. The children were playing with the dog in the snow, the older siblings were watching protectively while eating sweets. It seemed surreal.

At that thought he finally dropped the play, because it wasn't real. His unusually cheery disposition vanished and an almost vacant look took its place. To Fang's surprise, though, there seemed to be something else he was feeling, but he wasn't sure what it was… Could Max have started it? No, this wasn't a pleasant feeling. He shrugged to himself and pushed the thought away.

As he continued towards the vending machine the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand on end. Now he was starting to think someone was watching him. He almost laughed. He was surely going crazy… Of course, that thought got tossed away as he felt the tip of a knife digging into his back.

"Hah! Pathetic little boy, I'll slit your throat! Gimme all that you have!" the stranger shouted. Fang didn't respond at first. The mugger poked him again. "Hey! I'm talkin' to you!" He pushed Fang away from the public eye and into the darkness of an alley. "Gimme your cash!" he shouted. Fang's eye caught the blade's glint. Strangely, he wasn't scared. The mugger was a pathetic man oh which he could easily dispose of. Hardly a threat, but this man was armed. He intended on harming him, possibly the Flock. Fang finally realized that misplace feeling he had earlier.

Wrath.

"H-hey… what's going on!?" the mugger shouted. Fang grinned maliciously as the shadows rose from the ground in grotesque forms and made their way towards the two. "What the fuck!?" the mugger shouted again. He tossed Fang aside and waved the knife about frantically in front of him. "What are those things!?"

"They are my friends," Fang said almost childishly. His eyes widened in greedy terror and power as the man was consumed by the shadows. He didn't even have time to let out a scream as the shadows enveloped him completely. Fang found himself disappointed. He had wanted to hear the man scream… to see him suffer.

Then he got his wish.

Almost instantly he heard the screaming of the mugger inside of his head. He couldn't help but let out a gasp as the sound grew louder and louder, piercing his ears with the shrieks of his victim. It caused him to fall to his knees, his jeans soaking up the snow. Every scream the mugger made bounced off of his brain like razor blades. "Please, stop," Fang plead silently.

Fang's mouth was open with the pain it had caused, his entire head throbbing. But, almost as suddenly as it appeared, the screams were gone, as if it had never happened. In fact, he felt slightly better… slightly lighter. He steadied himself and stood. It seemed easier for Fang to stand and compose himself. He found himself smiling. He tasted something metallic in his mouth and wiped a hand across his nose.

Blood.

He concluded that it came from the intense screaming of the man he had…

"Oh god…" he murmured. "Oh god…" He gazed at the empty alley in awe. He had just killed that man… _intentionally_. And he was just _smiling_ about it! It was no accident. He _wanted_ someone to die. He wiped the rest of his face clean, making sure no blood got on his scarf. He had to calm down or Max would suspect… Gods, he was surprise that no one else heard the screaming in his head. It was so loud.

Fang rushed to the vending machine and extracted a Pepsi. Putting on his mask of happiness, he walked back to the flock, surprise at how much easier it was to pretend.

-+-

Everywhere in the Regeneration Branch buzzers and alarms were going off. The monitors had just recorded a large _voluntary_ hit from their target. It was time. The units that had been specially selected for this mission were mobilizing, ready to dart the target and bring it to the facility. Only one member of the operation stood silently in the monitor room, not participating in the activities.

The screens were home to Ivan. He didn't care for the hustle and bustle of fieldwork. He preferred the genetics of the lab, the actual labor of the mind, the experimentation. He didn't need to go on some detainment mission when he could watch safely from his little control room. Even so, he knew that he needed to get some stuff cleared with the pick up units before they left. Idly, he left the control room.

"Now," Ivan said in a commanding tone, "the target is _extremely_ dangerous. You have never hunted a more elusive and dangerous prey." Some unit members chuckled. Ivan's serious look silenced them. "This subject can cause you to vanish into thin air. Consume your mind and heart completely… eat your soul. That's why it is important that you keep the 09-00-A helmets on at all times. You'll constantly get an air supply pumped full of Artificial Q-X3, a substance that keeps your mind from being clouded by impurities, like the ones that this subject can create.

"It is also _extremely_ important that you DO NOT harm this subject at ANY time. He is very valuable to our research and needs to be in the utmost physical condition. If there is so much as a single _scratch_ on his face… you ALL die. Understood?" He was met with various levels of enthusiasm. "I said… UNDERSTOOD!?"

"Yes sir!" the units responded.

"Good. Now, be gone. And don't come back until you have my subject in hand." And with that the units left Ivan alone at the loading dock. He grinned, feeling inside him that it was going to be a good day. He turned and went back to his monitors, observing carefully the confused and alone Fang.

-+-

Fang approached the flock, already almost finished with his soda. They seemed to be getting ready for flight when he returned. Iggy moved towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Where have you been? Max was just about ready to send a search party out for you and I… wait… is that blood I smell?" Iggy paused. "Fang…"

"Relax, Ig. It's just a little bloody nose," Fang replied. Iggy nodded. After an almost sourly aching moment Iggy grinned.

"Heh, yeah. You're way too radiant to be, well… I dunno. That must be one good Pepsi," he said. He left Fang and went over to help Gazzy with his mittens. Max approached him, her face obviously registering surprise.

"Erm… Wow… You look… Anyways, we're getting ready to leave. So, yeah. Everyone ready?" Max called. As she turned her back Fang wanted nothing more than to spin her around and tell her… tell her about the night before at the hotel, the man in the alley, that he was beginning to _like_ it… the thought of murder. Sadly, he knew he couldn't do it. It'd break her heart.

"Let's go then," Fang said, using his newfound strength and relief to put on an even better display of happiness. He discovered that the more he succumbed to the darkness within him… the easier it was fool them… to fool them all.

If only he knew what was coming for him

…and at 60 yards and closing…

-+-

Heh. Gestort means "Deranged" in German. If you think carefully, there's a hint there! ^_^ But don't worry. It'll be apparent soon.


	5. Interior Snow

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Canary: Yay! Sorry for the long wait there… heh. It was kinda hard to write over my break and such.

Calamity: *blah blah blah*

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Four: Interior Snow

The snowfall was starting to worsen. The flock realized that this flight trip was going to be a little more complicated. As the blizzard impaled on the flying flock Max's brain calculated the possibilities of the flight actually being a safe one. After a few miles of the treacherous journey she stopped pressing forward and faced her freezing family. The frozen snow beard on Total's face tore at her heart.

"Everyone! Listen! We're turning around! This storm is worsening and we wont be able to fly through it safely. So, go ahead and turn… around…" Max's yelling ceased as her eyes caught something strange in the distance.

"What is it, Max," Iggy asked, worriedly. "Wait… I hear it… That whizzing noise," he said, turning his ear to the path in the sky that they came from. The flock all turned their gazes towards that direction, peering into the blinding snow. Slowly, black dots formed in the distance. Steadily, they grew larger, taking on shapes and forms. The whizzing noise became louder.

"Dive!" Iggy shouted. The flock obediently dropped their altitude as what resembled a missile went straight through the space they had occupied only a second before Iggy's call. The missile sped forward, but Iggy's ears perked at another whizzing sound. "They're firing another!"

"Scatter! Everyone scatter!" Max ordered, and another missile went whizzing by. By now the dozen of black dots took forms of people, presumably on what looked like jetpacks. The flock couldn't help but be surprised at this new feature. A noise suddenly came from in front of them.

"The missiles! They're coming back!" the Gasman shouted. Now the flock had to scatter further. Fang and Gazzy rose in altitude, hoping to get above the strange men in jetpacks and deeper into the blizzard to obscure their visibility with the missiles. Max darted in and out of small flourishes. She steadily tried to get closer to the strange men.

Nudge and Angel weren't having as much luck as they wanted. They were both being chased by at least five men. They flew as fast as their wings would allow in the strange blizzard, but the jetpacks were too powerful for the storm and cut through it efficiently. They had almost grabbed a hold of Angel when Fang came crashing out of nowhere and left a nice boot-shaped dent in the man's helmet. The glass eye-shield cracked with a satisfying sound.

"Thanks!" Angel shouted, catching up with Nudge. The two shivered by each other, looking for a way around the other four men. Fang growled and flew strongly at one. The storm was too strong, though, and the man easily evaded Fang's assault. What the man didn't know what that Fang simply used that as a way to flank the others. He grabbed a hold of one man's jetpack and used a strength he didn't know he had to rip it from the man's back. It's flames seared painfully on Fang's leg, but he gritted his teeth, focused only on getting that man's jetpack off.

He finally ripped it free and sent the man plummeting to the ground, his screams fading into the storm. Next, he raised his arm and chucked the jetpack at one of the other men. After he tossed it he barrel rolled over to Nudge and Angel and tucked them close as an explosion sounded off. Debris bit into one of Fang's wings, but the two girls were all right, and that was all that mattered.

Max looked over to where Fang, Nudge, and Angel were just barely visible amongst to the snow. The explosion had attracted her attention. She counted quickly in her head that there were about seven more guys. They had to escape… there were too many men to fight in the snow.

"Everyone! Let's GO!" she shouted. Fang pushed Nudge and Angel ahead of him and Gazzy quickly followed. Fang dodged a fail swoop from another Jetpack and managed to give him a nice kick to the neck. The man spiraled off into the blizzard. Fang was about to move forward when he felt something wrong… Like they were missing…

Iggy.

"Max!" he shouted. Max looked back from situating Total inside the Gasman's jacket. Fang opened his arms, a worried expression on his face. Max looked around, not really sure what he meant at first, but then it hit her. No Iggy. Fang flew over to her, battling the fierce snow and wind.

"I'll go look for him! You get them to ground!" he shouted. Max frowned, ready to protest. She was the one who usually went to get the others and Fang would take them to safety. But, strangely, something in Fang's eyes told her not to disobey. After a painful moment she agreed and she, Nudge, Angel, the Gasman, and Total all flew downward, towards safety.

Fang flipped around. The strange Jetpacks were lost in the blizzard and he saw no sign of them, so he took the opportunity to call out for Iggy. His voice was immediately lost in the flourishes, but Iggy's hearing could pick up a pin drop from a mile away. The only thing really hindering him was the strange ache on his leg and a sharp pain in one of his wings. After a moment of quick debate he decided that his best bet was to descend.

Fang slowly declined, searching the blinding white for any sign of his friend. The sky was darkening and he knew that he would soon lose a lot of visibility.

He figured he was nearing ground when suddenly something slammed into he left side. He went tumbling through the sky and felt himself falling downwards. He latched onto what was apparently another Jetpack. The two swung punches at each other as they tumbled towards the ground. Fang finally managed a good swing at the man's unprotected throat. He heard a strange crunch as the man started gasping. The Jetpack released Fang and started spiraling dangerously towards the ground. Fang abruptly pulled up and was grateful he had as he heard an explosion not far from him.

He finally made it to land, crash landing and rolling in the snow. After he stood he called out to Iggy, trying to locate his friend. The wind whipped about him as he pushed his way in the snow, not really sure of which direction to go in. Still, he pressed onward, calling out Iggy's name.

Suddenly, a faint cry was heard.

Fang rushed as fast as he could towards the noise, certain that it was Iggy. He pushed through the deep snow, heading towards the voice calling out his name. He managed to make out a form standing in the blizzard. Relief flooded through him as he realized it was Iggy. He drew closer, ready to help his friend back into the sky… then he saw the other men.

Iggy stood there with a gun to his temple, his face streaked with frozen tears. Three other Jetpacks came out of the swirling whiteness, surrounding Fang.

"Fang! Fang, I'm so sorry! It wasn't me! They called for you, I'm sorry!" Iggy said, fresh tears rolling down his face. "Just get outta here!" Fang looked around at the men, the Jetpacks. Rage filled him. How dare they make Iggy cry. How dare they try to trap him like this… their mistake.

Fang lowered his head, silent a moment. Deep within his mind he could feel the darkness and nightmares squirming, aching to come out. As a Jetpack neared Fang cast his gaze at the man and began to chuckle. The Jetpack stopped, obviously confused by Fang's actions. Fang didn't care, though. The nightmares were showing through and they weren't threatened by the Jetpacks or the guns they carried.

"You did this to capture me!? You wanted to obtain me!?" Fang said through bouts of laughter. Iggy's breath caught in his throat, clearly not recognizing the sound of Fang's voice. "Foolish. You can't win," Fang stated simply.

The area started to darken… much darker than it should have been. The snow flourished with a new, angry intensity. Fang stepped closer to the Jetpack holding Iggy. "Did you really think you could stop me?" he asked. His eyes had become completely black, the skin around them a dark red. He chuckled malevolently. "Foolish!" he shouted.

The snow flourished towards the Jetpack farthest from him. The man screamed and cried from inside the flourishing ball and slowly the snow turned a dark red color. After a moment the screams stopped and the snow dissipated, revealing a huge splattering of blood. Some blood flung across Fang's face, adding to his grueling appearance. Iggy's eyes widened at the smell of blood.

"Ready?" Fang asked the Jetpack holding Iggy. He raised his arms, darkness forming around them, ready to bring to life the man's worse fears and beyond. God's he was looking forward to this. Suddenly, before he could respond, a tiny whirring noise caught his attention just as something sharp pierced his neck. He grunted and lowered his arms. Slowly, he reached up and pulled out a small dart. Fang's world was suddenly fuzzy. "D…damnit…" he mumbled, falling to one knee.

"Fang!" Iggy shouted. Fang's strange eyes saw his friend in distress, struggling in the hold of an evil man. The control was lost; Fang's mind went on autopilot. He fell to the snow, unconscious.

The last thing he remembered seeing…

…was a darkness growing and manifesting into demons and shadows…

…surrounding them all…


	6. Welcome Back Lydia Windowless Rooms

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Canary: On to chapter FIVE! WOOHOO!

Calamity: Yeah… still kicking…

Canary: By the way… be in for a shocker this chapter.

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Five: Welcome Home Lydia/Windowless Room

The soft feeling surrounding Fang was a surprising one. The last emotion he remembered was a cross between fear and joy, but he wasn't sure how that worked. In fact, he wasn't sure about anything. All he could feel was a sort of blanket around him… so soft and comforting… He didn't even realize that he was still lying in the snow from the night before. He didn't feel the cold as it soaked into his jacket and into his skin. His usually pale complexion was way beyond sick looking, his lips blue and eyes sunken. Still, he didn't move… He only wanted to sleep.

Blurred figures came into Fang's vision. He didn't understand so he simply turned away. Moving almost seemed foreign to him, as if it hurt to do so, so he didn't struggle. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the light being shut out. He was reveling in the numbness. A kind voice whispered into his ear, but he didn't hear. He was lost in his thoughts of nothingness. He was becoming nothingness.

The last thing he remembered was the softness falling away from him and a sudden take on gravity, pulling his limbs downward. He didn't care and didn't fight it. He hardly knew what was going on.

He also didn't know what a terrible thing he had done.

The Flock sat within the cabin and watched Fang's slumbering form with total consentration. Nudge and Angel were huddled together by the doorway; Gazzy and Total were in the front room next to the mediocre fire. Max was the only one who stood in the room. She reached over and pulled the blanket tighter around Fang. After a moment, he stirred. Nudge gasped and backed away a few steps.

"Max…?" Fang asked, as if he wasn't sure it was her. He quickly sat up. In the doorway Nudge let out the breath she was holding. Fang looked at her and she froze in his gaze, which confused him. "Nudge..? What… wh… Gnn!" He grabbed his head with one hand, his mouth widening in pain as a severe headache attacked him. He felt something brush up against his mind, like another presence.

_Hello… Hello, Fang…_

Fang's eyes widened as he recognized the voice.

Lydia.

_Yes, Fang. It's me. Been such a long, long time… Why were you keeping me locked up, Fang? Why did you wait so long to us me? To use us?_

Every word she spoke sent another shock of pain through Fang's body.

"I… I couldn't… I can't…" Fang said, as if he was talking to himself. Max glanced at the two girls and they silently backed away. Only Angel lingered longer than Max would have liked, but she eventually followed Nudge into the front room. Max returned her focus to Fang, placing a hand on his shoulder. The fire from the front room flooded down the hallway and into the bedroom, leaving a strange orange glow in Fang's pained eyes. Max didn't like it.

"Fang… You can't what? Who are you talking to?" Max asked. Fang shook his head.

_Oh, Fang… Why don't you tell her? You have been calling for me… You've wanted me… Don't lie to yourself and say you can't have me… I feel it in your soul… so did the mugger… so did Ig-_

She couldn't bear the pain in his eyes anymore."Fang!" Max shouted. Fang's eyes snapped open and the pain was gone, leaving him panting. His eyes were filled with fear, something Max didn't see very often in them. "Fang… what's going on?" she asked, trying to be soft. Fang's features slowly calmed, along with his breathing, and he relaxed a little.

"What… what happened?" he asked, almost as if he was scared to hear the answer. Max didn't answer at first. Her demeanor went from kindness to sadness. Fang hated it; it was an overbearing sadness that doesn't easily go away. "What happened?" he asked again. He turned his head as he heard Nudge sniffle heavily in the other room. His heart stopped as he turned back to Max and saw tears threatening her eyes. She stood and extended her hand.

"C'mon," she said, commanding. Fang tentatively took it and stood, his bones still a little sore. He followed her to a separate bedroom. He felt as if he was freezing all over again as he followed, the back of Max's head never so threatening. Finally, she stopped before an oak door. She took her time, her hand lingering on the handle. Fang heard her sniff. "I couldn't just leave him there," she whispered. She finally pushed open the door to reveal a small room with only a bed in it. There weren't even any windows. In the center of the bed lay something large, a heavy black blanket draped over it. Fang's heart started beating furiously.

"No…" he found himself saying. Max closed the door behind them. She walked over to the covered object. Fang saw it clearly. A distinct outline of a nose, chin, lean arms… He didn't want to see.

"Fang…"

"No… no, no. no!" he said, his voice almost whining. Max closed her eyes tightly as she gripped the edge of the blanket. His pleas were hard to refuse. "Max," he said. "If it's one of those men, I don't want to see. I don't want to know what I did…"

Max's eyes opened and she gave him an almost insulted look. "Fang… This isn't one of those Jetpacks we fought earlier! This is-" She stopped, unable to prevent the tears as they cascaded forward. "Fang… there's no excuse… you have to see what you've done!" And with that she lifted the cover, looking away as she did so. Fang's body was paralyzed.

There lay Iggy, his skin a strange bluish tone. His mouth was slightly parted, his lips pale and chapped. Even his veins were more prominent. But what stuck out to Fang the most were his eyes. They were completely black, tears of blood dried to Iggy's cheeks. Fang stepped forward, his hands reaching out. He dropped to his knees by the body, his face frozen in shock and fear.

"Iggy… Ig… How… how could I… No… no, no, no, no, no! No! NO! NO!" Fang shouted. He pounded his fists on the floor. His face was twisted with pain. Max said nothing as she let Fang wallow in the anguish, but inside it tore her apart to see him like this. Not only had she lost a brother, but she also had to show it to Fang… it was all too much… and it hurt her so bad, because she knew that the rest of her flock was in danger.

"Fang… Fang…" Max said as gently as she could. Fang stood and started backing towards the door. Max's heart fluttered; she knew that she needed to act fast. She ran in front of Fang and held his shoulders firmly, trying her best to hold back tears that were already flowing. "Fang… please, stop and listen to me… Why didn't you tell me that the nightmares were back? Why!?"

"I can't believe… did I… Max, I killed him! I KILLED HIM!" he said, his whole being still in shock and not sure how to react. It was as if he hadn't heard her at all. Fang finally fell to his knees, unable to hold himself up. Max fell beside him and held him close, stroking his hair gently. "I killed him… I killed him… I killed him…" Fang continued to whisper to himself, Max holding him for as long as she could. Still, she knew that something had to be done. Fang was dangerous.

"Fang," she whispered to his hair. He didn't respond. "Fang, you can't keep your nightmares unchecked like this. I need you to stay here until you regain control, alright?" She stood, backing towards the door. Fang's eyes widened with realization. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Fang…" she whispered.

"No… NO-"

Max slammed the door shut and bolted it with the several locks that she and the others had managed to scrounge around and find. She could hear Fang's muffled yells and soft beating on the door. She slid down the smooth oak, finally letting her emotions have their freedom. Iggy was dead. Fang had killed him. As much as she hated it, she needed to do something, because Fang was now a danger to the Flock. He'd taken away the bad guys, but he took Iggy, her brother, her baby, as well. That price wasn't worth the destruction of the entire corporation that created them.

Finally, Max regained her composure. If the remaining members of her Flock saw her as such then she'd surely make them lose hope. They had to find a way to save Fang from the nightmares…

Or else, Max was going to lose him.

-+-

Ivan searched the monitors desperately. His frustration had reached its top most level. In fact, it had long surpassed tolerance. He hadn't heard from his unit in hours and was becoming most impatient.

"Where are they!?" he shouted out loud to himself. As if his cry was heard, a buzz sounded in his control room, signaling that someone wanted to enter. He buzzed them in and a small, round woman with a holographic clipboard projected from a bracelet entered the room. "Ah, Svetlana. Greetings. My regards to the Russian Branch," he said sarcastically, not meaning a word of it. The plump woman ignored his rudeness and got straight to the point.

"We were helping to monitor the attempted collection of the Fang subject… seems that your labors have been… inconclusive." She seated herself in a cushioned chair. Ivan gripped his pencil so tightly that it snapped quietly in his hand. Svetlana also ignored that. "We did, however, manage to gather enough information submitted by the special helmets that your Jetpacks wore to come to one conclusion," she said slyly. Ivan couldn't stop himself.

"Well? Out with it, woman!" he shouted. Svetlana smirked politely and glanced around the room nonchalantly.

"We managed to conclude that the Regeneration Branch's efforts are no better than that of Reflection's. You are a no better quack that Jeb." She chuckled quietly after the insult. Ivan stormed across the room and put himself inches from Svetlana's face.

"Tell me what you know. NOW!" he shouted. Svetlana looked at him with disgust.

"I'd watch it, Ivan. You're lucky I'm not sharing this failure with the Brain. You'd be in serious trouble then." She grinned viciously. Ivan hated it, but she was right. If the head of Itex heard of his failure he'd most likely be put to death. "What I know, my dear, is that your helmets don't work against Fang's ability. Also… He has sucked in one of his own kind." She let her grin spread. Her enjoyment was infectious and Ivan's fickle nature turned from that of fury to excitement.

"So… he's letting himself fall prey to it… Excellent. Soon he won't hide. Soon he won't care for his precious little flock. Soon he'll _want_ to be found," Ivan said more to himself than Svetlana. He turned to his precious monitors, eyeing the screenshot of Fang while using his abilities at Reflection.

For once, things were inadvertently going Ivan's way.


	7. Dears

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Canary: Ho ho ho! Here's where things REALLY start heating up!

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Six: Dears

_Slam._

_Slam._

_Slam._

And, one more time…

_Slam._

Fang slumped against the door, the final slam ripping painfully into his bruised shoulder. He had been throwing himself at the door for hours. He shook his head, for all he knew it had only been a few minutes, or maybe it had been days. He didn't care. He just wanted out.

_Poor, poor Fang… All locked up again… You just keep getting yourself in these situations, do you not?_

Fang grabbed his head in agony. That piercing yet soft voice sent daggers dancing across his mind.

"Please… stop it…" he said, curling into a ball on the floor. "Go away…"

_The more you reject me, Fang, the more it will hurt. Do not reject me… I am a part of you. I am you._

"I don't know you! Why are you in my head!?" Fang shouted. He squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the presence sigh deeply. It was like an icy poisoned breath along his spine.

_"Open your eyes, Fang…"_

Fang opened his eyes as the voice was not only in his head, but next to him as well. There, before him, was a small girl, her grungy blond curls in link strands at her shoulders, her pale gray skin hugged only by a dirty cream sundress, and her black, soulless eyes staring at him. She smiled a knowing smile, sending tendrils of pain down Fang's head.

"Gyaah!" he shouted. The girl only smiled more, sending more bouts of pain to him. After an agonizing moment the pain subsided, leaving a panting Fang to come face to face with his nightmare.

"How dare you keep me inside, Fang. You took me, you better use me," the girl said acidy. Fang's eyes squinted.

"Lydia?"

"That is correct. I am the first, the one you kept inside all this time," she cooed. Fang's eyes widened and he backed up against the wall. She chuckled, the sound like wicked wind chimes. "Oh, do not worry Fang, dear. I am not alone anymore." She looked around her and the air seemed to warp and shimmer. To her left a tall, slightly full woman materialized, her skin matching that of Lydia's. Her arms, though, were missing, the shreds of bone and skin jerking with her motions. Her outfit was completely bloodstained, not a white spot on it, and her eyes… her eyes were completely gouged out and her mouth was twisted into a macabre smile, blood trickling from the corners. "This is Nurse. I never learned her name, seeing as how she does not speak anymore. But Nurse is good enough. She was first to keep me company." Fang shook with terror. He was starting to catch on.

"Please… go away," he pleaded. He hoped that he was wrong and that things weren't going the way they seemed. Lydia laughed her strange laugh again and shook her drowned curls.

"Oh, I am not done yet. That is just the beginning!" To her right the air shimmered again and this time a man began to form. He was hunched over, his arms slightly longer than a normal humans. His skin matched that of Lydia's and Nurse's, but had several rips and tears from which bone was exposed. All in all, he looked like a zombie. It took Fang a minute before he finally realized whom it was.

"Jeb…" he breathed. Lydia grinned. Fang shook his head furiously. He definitely knew where this was going. "Please… please don't…" he begged again. He wrapped his arms around himself and put his forehead on the floor at Lydia's feet. "Please don't do this…" he said weakly. Lydia frowned.

"It is not my fault that you did these things to these people. You must face what you have done," she said coldly. Sure enough, just in front of her, the air shimmered and warped and a tall, lanky boy began to form.

"No! Stop it!" Fang shouted. Sadly, the image didn't stop. There stood Iggy, with his pale, strawberry-blond hair and gray skin, his vacant white eyes… He was there, forever trapped inside Fang's mind. Fang yelled and swung at the images. Lydia laughed.

"And, you know, that is just the half of it! There are still the Jetpacks and the mugger… Pretty soon you will have everyone inside your head… you will never be alone. I will always watch you, Fang. You cannot fight me forever." She laughed again and the apparitions disappeared. Fang clawed ferociously at the door, his nails peeling back and bleeding. He banged on it, screamed at it, clawed at it, but he did not get through. This did not stop him, though. He was getting out of that room, one way or another.

-+-

Max held her cup of cocoa nervously. Every soft thud she heard sent a shiver down her spine. She was busy thinking of options. There were only so many ways she could deal with this… Her friend was becoming a monster and she knew there was no other way to word it. He was putting the flock in danger, there was no other way to put that either, and there was one more thing… She was totally and completely in love with him. No questions asked. She held still as she felt her eyes threaten more tears. Still, she kept her resolve, each sound of Fang hitting the door helping to strengthen her. He needed help and protection; so did the Flock. There had to be something they could do. There had to be some way to rid Fang of his nightmares forever.

Max stood and tucked the blankets in around the younger kids, who were all still sleeping on the couch. Total was nestled up against Angel's foot, twitching with every thud. She smiled and ran a hand through Angel's soft curls. She walked back to her sitting place, ready to lie down, but something caught her attention. She was quiet and listened.

No noise.

She turned, cocoa mug dropping on the cabin floor, and took off down the hallway. She quickly unbolted the door and undid any other locks, then pushed the heavy box out of the way and flung the door open. The room was completely empty. She began to shiver fears entered her mind with a new ferocity. She had failed to watch and care for Fang… He was loose and unprotected, unrestrained…

…He was alone.

-+-

The dark figure sat perched at the building's edge. It was so high; the city seemed a million miles below. He was actually surprised at how fast he had traveled when he allowed Lydia to spring him from the cabin. He agreed to be with her as long as he didn't have to harm the flock. So far, they were both keeping their word.

Even though he was so high above the city he could smell the people below. He could hear their pulses. And, he was hungry… he was hungry to devour their souls…

"No!" he shouted to himself. "Stop it!" Those thoughts weren't his, he reminded himself. It was Lydia.

_Fang! _Lydia shouted in his head. The voice was so loud that he doubled over in pain, almost falling off of the building. _Do you want to hurt your family? Or the Max that you love so much?_ She asked. Fang's eyes held terrible pain and sadness.

"No…" he breathed. Had he been able to call it forth, tears would have spilled over his eyes, but he hadn't been able to do it since that one time… a year ago… Only Max had been able to trigger it. And now… now he would never see her again.

_Then do as I say! You will love it, Fang… The power will seduce you in time… You know that you want it… Go on… Those cattle are waiting… _she cooed.

Fang leapt from the building and spread his black wings, descending into the dark alleyways. Soon, he touched ground in front of a few gangsters and the power surged in his veins. He tried to suppress it, but the men started taunting him as soon as they saw him.

"Some little gymnast, eh? Fag!" they shouted. Fang's blood began to sing with the nightmares and he found himself wanting to hurt them. He lifted his arms to his head, not wanting to do it… but it was a losing fight. "S'matter, homo!" one shouted. The small, insignificant taunt was enough.

With a ferocity even unknown to Fang, he unleashed his nightmares onto the three men, listening with extreme joy as they screamed in pain. The sound was obviously not smothered enough as more people emerged to inspect the racket. Fang was consumed… He grinned.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are, my dears…"

-+-

OKAY! I know that there are probably spelling errors up the WAZOO in this chapter, but I was anxious to post and had no more time. So, no worries, I'll go through it and tidy it up later.


	8. The Hebrew

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Canary: So yyeeaaahhh… Here's another chappy!

Calamity: Ho ho ho…

Canary: I have actually found that I really like writing from Ivan's perspective… in a sense… He's a nifty and complex guy.

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Seven: The Hebrew

Ivan typed nervously away at his computers. He was busy compiling all the strands of data that were available to him based on the readings of Fang's abilities. Regeneration had surprisingly given him more access and more equipment to conduct his research. He had no doubt that Svetlana was behind it, but he still did not know her motives for the assistance. As for now, he decided not to mention it.

The soft sound of the door shifting open caught his attention. His typing stopped and he looked into the monitor ahead of him, catching the reflection of his unwanted visitor.

"Hello, David," Ivan said nastily. The tall figure responded by sauntering in and hovering over Ivan's work, purposely ignoring all personal boundaries that the scientist obviously had. "Get away!" he shouted, throwing his hands up. David chuckled.

"You really are as crabby as they say… Have you honestly gone this sour?" David asked in a thick, honey voice. Ivan eyed the tall, darkly tanned man with venom in his eyes. David met the gaze with passive brown ones, long black hair falling messily over his face. Ivan couldn't help but avert the strange, passive look. His eyes immediately rested their gaze on David's left arm. It was motionless, resting against the edge of the control panel. David chuckled again and jerked away.

"It's about time you showed up…" Ivan mumbled. David walked away and sat in Ivan's other chair, his legs dangling over one of the chair's arms. His lean and muscled body moved fluidly and he draped his left arm lazily across his lap.

"Hey… I had to get a few more hours of training in before I could just 'show up' you know. And, hey! Didn't you just tell me to 'go away'?" he teased. He looked thoughtfully at his right arm and flexed it. Ivan growled, but didn't say anything, focusing on his work once again. David took this moment to grab some papers by the chair and flip through them. "Ah…" he'd say every once in a while, almost too quiet for Ivan to hear. Had he not said anything Ivan would have thought the boy had left. He was frightfully quiet.

"That's the dossier on the test subject you'll be meeting soon," the scientist said after a while. After a moment of no response he turned to make sure he wasn't talking to himself. Sure enough, there was David in his seat, silently flipping through pages.

"A couple years younger than me… Heh, 'Harbors darkness inside him'… What is this, a fucking comic book?" David asked. "Is he tortured and alone? What an Alice…" he said. Ivan was a little distraught by the sudden teasing, but grew serious again.

"He's a thousand times stronger than you, David," Ivan warned. David shrugged impassively. "So? Can you do it? This mission, I mean," Ivan asked, ready to get the show on the road. David grinned goofily at the scientist.

"Easily."

-+-

_One, two, no one hides from you… Three, four, bathe in the gore… Five, six, better get your fix… Seven, eight, got a hunger to sate… Nine, ten, never be sane again…_

Fang swayed involuntarily to the small voice singing in his head. His eyes were half-closed and his head throbbed. The dark skin underneath his eyes had grown even darker and his eyes were more red-rimmed than ever. His pale skin felt cold and numb and he warily glanced at the scars on his arm. They were throbbing black and ached and pained him so much… The pain only disappeared when he consumed others. Even then he could feel the pain shoot through his veins…

Fang stood and looked down into the lights that lit up the night. He was there, again, standing on the edge of the several story building and looking into the red city. He perched there while he hunted. Humans and their fears… they were his heroin. They were the only things that really took the edge, the pain… took it all away. Even if it was only for a little while, he had had that little taste… that little sip… that little hit that had him hooked.

One, two, no one loves you… Three, four…

"…you are no more," he said quietly. He continued in a strange sort of high that riddled his mind with confusion, hunger, and pain. "Five, six, death's coming quick… Seven, eight, it's me they hate… Nine, ten, there's no Heaven… One, two, no one loves you… Three, four, you are no more…" He continued to mumble the song to himself, listening only to the girl's voice in his head that sang it with him.

The sudden sound of footsteps in the alley far below pulled him from his strange reverie. His sharp eyes glanced downward, catching the top of someone's head. Acting on his need to feed he launched himself from the ledge and spiraled downward, landing suddenly a few feet in front of the stranger. He looked like a demon with his black wings spread and the red glow of the city illuminating them. Fang's head jerked upright and his eyes were a solid black. He glared at the passive face of the stranger.

The man grinned and saluted Fang casually with his right arm. His left hung motionless at his side, moving only when the man did. Fang eyed the arm and then fixed his eyes back on the stranger. Something about this person didn't seem… human. The man chuckled.

"I can see that you've already picked up that I'm not some helpless human victim for you to swallow," the stranger said. He pulled his right hand out of his jean pocket. The dirt and grime on his wife-beater accented the muscle beneath. Slowly, he raised his hand and made a sort or surrender motion. "Now, I know that you're one hungry son of a gun, but I highly doubt that taking me in is gonna get the high you want so badly," he said. He grinned. "My name is David. And you must be Fang." Fang's deadly and predatorial pose didn't change in the least bit as he sized up his opponent. "Have you heard one word I've said?" David asked, flicking some of his long black hair out of his eyes. Fang simply lowered his crouch, his eyes widening.

_Take him…_ she said. David looked around curiously.

"Ah! I suppose that makes a little more sense… I wouldn't understand it if you suddenly went evil. But those that you have taken in… Must be communicating… How interesting!" he said, a smile spreading across his face.

_Take him! Take him now!_ She said, the panic in her voice sending adrenaline into Fang's body. David tensed up as if he somehow heard the command.

"Well… I can see that you won't simply hear me out… I suppose if you want to fight me you can. Shame, though. I was hoping to speak to the real Fang without hurting him. Oh well. I guess a little pain to subdue you won't be too much!"

And with that the two experiments rushed each other.

-+-

Max stared out the café window at the slowly falling snow. It had been over a week since he disappeared and they had no sign, no trail, not even deaths to lead their way to him. She sipped mindlessly at her coffee, trying her best to remain calm. They had had to hit a big city for some supplies and Nudge had convinced her to stop at a most unneeded stop: Starbucks. Now, without either of her wingmen, she felt vulnerable and exposed. There was no one there to share her discomfort with.

"Maybe… Maybe Iggy can reach him… Maybe he can find him and help him…"

"I wonder where he is…"

"…possibly dead…"

"I wish he wasn't evil…"

The last little bit of the flock's conversation reached her ears.

"He is not evil!" Max shouted, slamming her coffee on the table. The hot liquid spilled on her napkin slightly and she had the entire Starbucks staring at her. After a moment the café settled back into casual conversation. Max stared at her spilled drink, her expression almost black. Angel touched her hand slightly.

"We know, Max… It's okay," she whispered. Max said nothing. She simply sat there, staring at the small spill on her napkin.

She had never felt so helpless and alone.


	9. If He Wants A Show

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Canary: Suuu… Sorry for the long ass time before the update!

Calamity: Yeah, the Internet was down for ages and the computer stopped working as well. So, it had to be sent in to be worked on.

Canary: Here's your update! Woohoo!

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Eight: If He Wants A Show…

David ducked as another fury of kicks descended upon him. _Damn, this son of a bitch is fast!_ He rolled to the left, dodging another flying kick. Fang launched himself into the air and tried another dive-bomb, which sent a small tremor upon impact with the street. David looked thoughtfully at the small crater that was almost he.

Fang stood and shook the debris off. He watched David with an almost morbid curiosity. David returned the gaze with a more casual stance.

"So… tell me, great evil one… Why haven't ya gone all nightmares on me, eh? I've been waiting for the show all night."

_If he wants a show… give him one_.

Fang barely acknowledged the command. David's stance became slightly more defensive, but his facial features showed that of glee. The air around Fang began to warp and twist, shadows forming where they shouldn't. _Perfect_, David thought. Fang lifted his arms, the ground shaking slightly. In response, David lifted his right arm.

With a strangely roaring blast, Fang unleashed the nightmares. Strange and demonic people shot out at David, the stranger's eyes beholding sights he never even imagined. The world around him darkened and things flitted all around him… things he could not see or even comprehend. Fang's glowing silhouette was all that was visible in the darkness.

_Good, Fang. You have done well. Finish him._

"I don't think so," David said firmly.

Suddenly, the darkness around Fang and David was being warped again. Fang's face fleetingly showed panic, as he wasn't the one doing it. He looked at David, his eyes widening.

David waved his right arm gracefully around, leading the shadows and creatures to his left arm. The shadows slowly were sucked into the palm of his motionless left hand. Fang couldn't help but watch in amazement.

Suddenly, a terrible screaming ripped through the air that sent Fang's brain into near seizures.

_Nooo! Fang, stop him! Do not let him take me! Pull me back in! _Fang gripped his head in agony. David cackled gleefully.

"The bitch doesn't appreciate it, does she? Better do what she says, Fang, or I'll suck them all in!" Fang looked with horror as Nurse started screaming in pain, slowly being pulled into David's palm.

"No!" Fang shouted. He inhaled deeply and concentrated on pulling in his demons. He had never had to bring them in before; they always came and went of their own accord. He could feel Jeb's twisted soul start to leave him as well. "Nooo!" he shouted again. This time he tried harder, his nose starting to bleed. If he didn't bring them in, then Lydia would hurt him… After a moment, the warping shadows stopped flowing towards David, and then disappeared altogether. Fang fell to his knees, his breathing heavy and his shoulders shaking violently.

_Fang… Fang… I am weak… Do not send me out… Fang…_

The last thing Fang saw before blacking out was David's gleeful face.

-+-

Max sat silently on the park bench. She could almost feel him there. They had flown back to where the trouble had first started happening. She needed to be there. She needed to find out what happened. The others had followed her, but she could feel their skepticism. She knew they thought she was following a hopeless cause. Still, she had to. She had to find a way to get to him… to rescue him…

"Max," Angel said. Max jumped slightly. She looked at the little girl, wondering where on earth she got the patience to deal with this madness. "I'm not so little anymore, Max. Besides. We've been through a lot… There's a lot of things that, well… they make you grow up a little faster." Angel sipped her hot cocoa. Her purple knitted mittens looked so worn out on her little hands. Max could see the pale fingers showing through the old cloth. It made her heart hurt. Here she was, chasing after a… a murderer… and all the while her flock as freezing because of it.

"I'm sorry, Angel…" she managed. "I just… Even if what he did was wrong, I know in my heart that he didn't mean to. He's still one of the Flock. He still…"

"He still means a lot to you," Nudge said, suddenly appearing at Max's side. "He still means a lot to all of us. Even Total," she said, hoisting the mutant dog up. Total yipped and licked at Max's chin. "I think what he… did… I think it was an accident, too," Nudge whispered. The Gasman said nothing, simply standing by his sister and observing the white landscape.

He had been silent during their journey. Ever since Iggy's death, Gazzy had been quieter, more secluded. Little did the flock know, but the child was incubating an ever-growing hatred towards the once family member, Fang. In Gazzy's eyes, Fang had done nothing but cause heartache. He had hurt Angel, he had torn Max's heart in half, but worst of all… he had killed his best friend for no reason.

His hands balled into fists and his cheeks burned with fury.

-+-

Fang's eyes fluttered open, the amber skies of sunrise welcoming him in a bittersweet fashion. He was lying on something hard, concrete perhaps. He sat up slowly, ready for the pain in his head to return like it always did.

Nothing happened.

He looked around himself, confused. He was apparently on a rooftop. Someone was standing on the edge, thoughtfully watching the sunrise. After a moment, the man jumped down and waltzed over to Fang. Fang instinctively backed away, ready to fight. _That's_ when the wave of nausea and pain finally hit him. He turned to the side and held his stomach as he emptied what few contents remained inside it. The stranger whistled thoughtfully.

"Hmm… Weren't you expecting that? Your face says you weren't. Strange… said in the pamphlet that you always had a bout of illness after blackouts… Humph." The stranger neared Fang. "Well, I think part of the delay has to do with me takin' some of your nightmares, eh?" The stranger grinned. Fang's eyes widened.

"You…"

"Oh! So you do speak! And you do remember me! Ah, remember my name? It's David." The man walked away, standing on the edge of the roof once again. "I was losing faith in you. Ah, well… good fucking news for you." David turned and faced Fang.

Fang just eyed the man with a look of both astonishment and curiosity. David simply gazed pleasantly back at him. Finally, Fang forced words out of his mouth.

"Who… are you?" he asked. It felt so strange talking to another living creature. He only over communicated with Lydia. He was quiet a moment, waiting for her input, but he heard nothing. His look of confusion cued David.

"Ah… the little girl is quiet, eh? Well, I took a great deal of those nightmares with me, you know. She probably needs to recuperate. Ha!" He faced the sunrise again. Fang waited patiently for an answer to his question. As if he heard those thoughts, David answered. "I am David, also known as the Hebrew. An evil company created me and they wanted to kill me. Long story short, I escaped and came to find you." He grinned. Fang raised an eyebrow. "Oh. I heard them talking about you. They kept blabbing on about some great experiment that escaped… figured I'd look you up." Fang simply sat, not sure how to process the information. He was silent again, waiting for Lydia's orders. Nothing. "I told you, Fang. She won't answer." With this, Fang rose and rushed David.

"What did you do to her!?" he commanded, his eyes darkening with fury. David shrugged.

"Well, sucked some of your power, so she's a little tired. Breathe, flyboy. You'll hear your precious master in no time," David said. He pushed Fang away from him. Fang glanced down at David's left arm. He vaguely remembered his nightmares being taken away from him. He instinctively stepped back. David glanced at him.

"Your arm…"

"Ah, don't worry about it," the Hebrew said. He stepped off the edge towards Fang. "My left arm is completely useless. Can't feel it, can't move it… nada." Fang's brows furrowed, still not fully understanding. David raised his right hand. "Y'see, by some accident, they were injecting something into my left arm that was supposed to do something important, but it went wrong, obviously." He rolled his eyes. "So, it went completely useless. The only way to keep it from rotting off of my body, or spreading…" he paused. "…Is to suck in life. But your nightmares did nicely as a little substitute." David grinned like a madman.

Fang backed up several steps. His wings extended, ready to take flight and get the hell away from the only thing he ever considered a threat. David chuckled.

"Now, now. I'm not going to eat you. That's your thing. That whole bit about life is only the half of what I can do… but that's for another time," David said. Fang still crouched, ready for takeoff. David sighed. "So… seems you can suck in your demons at near full throttle, eh? Surprising. Say… how would you like complete control of those nightmares, eh? You wouldn't have to listen to some sour, spoiled little girl." Fang's eyes widened.

He_ had_ pulled his nightmares in… something he didn't know that he was capable of, at least not consciously. He relaxed his stance slightly, which put a rather large grin on David's face.

"Hah! Now we can be friends!"

He suddenly felt Lydia's little voice, her soft and weak words forming along his spine.

And, for the first time, he ignored her.

-+-

Ivan grinned to himself as he walked down the hallways at Regeneration. People stopped and stared as he walked by, not used to seeing him away from his control room, much less in up to the chairman's office. He knocked twice, waiting for a response.

"Come in," a rough voice said in English. Ivan smirked a little wider, obviously smug with himself, and entered the small, but clean and white office.

A very tall and pale man sat in a high backed chair, going through a holographic clipboard. Small glasses were precariously balanced on his nose, his dark eyes piercing through them to look at the documents. Messy black hair framed his face, the hair turning gray at his temples. Ivan waited patiently as the chairman finished his review. After a few moments, the chairman waved his hand, signaling Ivan to sit down.

"Sir, I have very good news," Ivan began.

"Yes, yes… so I hear," the chairman said, his German accent so heavy that it was almost impossible to understand him. Luckily, Ivan caught his words. The scientist opened a manila envelope and pulled out a few pages of blown up pictures, some notations, and a couple of graphs. He set the pictures on the chairman's desk and waited patiently for the sign to continue. Finally, the chairman placed his clipboard on the desk and removed his glasses, focusing his piercing eyes on Ivan. The scientist couldn't help but gulp nervously.

"Right… Well, as I had told you earlier in a memo, I would be calling on the help of the Hebrew. He came in a couple days ago and was briefed on the subject Fang." Ivan pulled the three pictures apart and showed a blurry black and white photo of two figures, one wearing all black with large black masses behind him and the other wearing white. "This figure here, with those black blobs behind him, is the test subject," Ivan explained. The chairman nodded. "And the one in white is David."

"By David… you mean David King, correct?" the chairman asked. Ivan nodded.

"Yes. He was instructed to go find the test subject and befriend him. I've instructed him to help Fang polish his abilities, to become close to him, and then lead him here. If David King is as good as others say he is… then this mission will be a success," Ivan stated proudly. The chairman singled out one photo in particular.

"What's going on here?" he asked casually. Ivan's grin spread.

"That is David and Fang on a rooftop at precisely oh-five hundred hours this very morning. It's hard to tell, but both subjects hold very casual stances, suggesting that the Hebrew has made initial friendly contact with Test Subject Fang. If this goes on as planned, David will bring Fang here in no time." Ivan fell silent, obviously pleased with himself. The chairman sat back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap, obviously in deep thought. Ivan waited patiently.

"So… You're saying that this plan is initially going to work? How did this Hebrew manage to befriend this volatile creature so quickly?" the chairman said, more to himself than Ivan.

"David King contacted me while Fang was in a blackout. He said that there was one sure way he could win the subject's trust," Ivan said, more thoughtfully than seriously. The chairman looked up.

"And how was that?"

"Said he'd tell Fang a story that was identical to Fang's story itself."

-+-

Fang sat on the edge of the building once again, his favorite roosting place. He watched the people hustle and bustle about in the evening time. He had spent most of the daylight hours avoiding his new tail, David.

He wasn't sure what to think of the man. He was an experiment, like Fang, but other experiments had attacked him before, so that wasn't too much of a reason to trust him… but what about the fact that he was free? That he had escaped? He wasn't an Eraser, which was a major big deal in the fact that he could possibly be telling the truth. Fang shook his head, feeling the hunger and the headache coming.

He had never tried to ignore Lydia before, but that morning, when she was still weak, he had done just that. He wasn't sure how, but he had, and he felt slightly more in control. He had been ravaging the streets and allies for almost a month, falling prey to his own desires… it felt so strange to be in control once again.

And, yet, it scared him. The last time Fang was in control he had resorted to so much pain, so much violence and blood that he found it much easier to cope with pain and guilt by just giving in to the nightmares. It was a strange feeling to be in control. Of course Lydia had eventually regained her strength and given him a good ole brain ache… One he'd never forget. She spouted on and on about how he was nothing and was emptied of all good… about all the people that he'd killed and about Iggy.

_That is right, little Fang… You killed your own family… You are a monster._

"Stop it!" Fang shouted, clutching his head. "It wasn't my fault!"

_Oh, but it was, Fang. You looked right at him and sucked him in. You wanted him. You've wanted him forever… His sweet, sweet smell… But not as good as Max's scent… Oh, how her soul makes your hunger burn!_

"Shut up!" he shouted again. "Gyaah… Stop… please…" he whimpered, still clutching his head. Little did he know, but a silent David watched from the shadows of a gargoyle. He watched as Fang tried to fight his inner demons and be unsuccessful. He knew he mocked the kid at first, feeling that the dilemma was all-too Hollywood… but he now felt a sense of pity towards the poor creature. He continued to listen to the conversation, waiting for any clues as how to bring him to Regeneration.

_Fang, Fang, Fang! Do not deny it! You are a monster! You stole Max's heart… Why do you not just take her soul as well! It would be so easy… You would only have to get close to her, tell her how much you love her… She would believe you, because it is true, is it not? You love her so much… So much you want to eat her!_

"NO!" he shouted. Sadly, her words still penetrated his mind. He gripped the edges of the stone roof, the concrete cracking and breaking off in tiny pieces in his hands. His eyes started to fade to black, the pupils consuming the irises… then the whole eye. David saw this as his opportunity. He rushed over to Fang's side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Fang… It's David… Listen, you can fight her," he said gently. Suddenly, Fang's hand was gripped around David's wrist, twisting it painfully. David was caught by surprise, but he didn't budge. Fang looked at him with black eyes, hunger showing through them perfectly. "H-hey… Listen… I know you can fight her. Don't listen to her, Fang… She has no control over you; you are stronger than her, stronger than she says! You can fight her!" he said, almost desperately. For a small moment, a flicker of recognition went across Fang's eyes. David grinned. "That's it! Fight her! You're not the monster she says you are!"

Fang was motionless, the air around him and David silent save the sound sounds of the city. But, inside Fang's mind, a completely different air was taking place. The screaming and shouting of Lydia pierced through both Fang and David's brain, causing them both to wince. Regardless, Fang was still, some part of him refusing to kill David… Some part of him believing the words David had said.

Then, all was silent, inside and out.

David looked into Fang's eyes, which were still black. He suddenly felt something cool on his face and touched a hand to his cheek. Blood. His eyes widened as he felt the bloody tears come from his eyes.

"No, Fang! Don't listen to her! Stop her! Fang… Please, stop… stop her…"

-+-

BAM! Long arse chapter, yeah? Well, I don't think I wrote the beginning of this chapter very well, so I decided to expand it, because so many ideas were rolling out of my head… so there! Chapter eight!

P.S.

Also! Pay close attention to the description of the chairman… Ho ho ho! Something there, maybe? Maybe not? Find out!


	10. Noo

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Canary: I am SO sorry!

Calamity: Chya… We actually planned to have this chapter up WAY earlier, but we were having complications starting it.

Canary: But now everything is worked out and you should be able to expect sooner updates!

Calamity: ALSO! I don't know if you guys watch that T.V. show called 'Heroes' or not, but I just realized the resemblance between Fang's power and Maya's power. Let me please, please, PLEASE reassure you, just incase anyone brings it up, that this is TRULY coincidence, and that I thought that up before the second season even aired. So, the only similarity, really, is that Maya kills people and their eyes turn black and they cry black tears, whereas Fang injects or summons nightmares, causing people's eyes to turn black and cry BLOOD. So, yeah. Just wanted to clear that up incase anyone had noticed or not… cause I had… Yeah…

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Nine: Noo

Fang's grip on David's arm tightened. The Hebrew would have winced in pain, for the pressure was ready to crack his bone, but he was too mesmerized by the dark, menacing eyes that held him there. Still, something was happening that prevented Fang from just taking David's life… Something inside Fang's head.

_Fang… You do not understand! You want him, so take him! Get rid of his stupidity and finish him! He will leave you alone, then, Fang. You won't have to worry about him anymore…_

**But I don't want to… I don't want to kill people just so that they'll leave me alone…**

_Yes! Yes you do! You are a monster! You ENJOY taking life! You enjoy it!_

**Stop it! You're lying!**

No, Fang! You are the one who is lying! To yourself even! Give in… You know you want him… So take him…

**NO!**

Fang closed his eyes and ripped his arm off of David, leaving red claw marks on the young man's arm. David immediately touched his own face. Dry. He felt that familiar, huge smile grace his face. He had cheated death yet again! His thoughts halted, though, as Fang started to growl in strange and deep tones. David backed away a few steps.

"Woah… Fang, it's over… C'mon, you can win over this bitch!" he said. Fang's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he began to shake violently. David's eyes widened and he tried to steady Fang. "Shit!" Fang went limp. David glanced around the rooftop frantically. "Shit, shit, shit!" He felt Fang's neck, barely detecting a pulse. Ivan was going to _kill _him.

He sat up, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. _Time to jump into the Noo,_ he thought to himself. He had been in the noosphere before. It was part of his ability and also the reason he could hear Lydia talking to Fang. It was also a fast and easy way of communication.

The noosphere was the collective consciousness that blanketed the world, linking everyone's minds together. If one could enter it, such as David, it was possible to access people's thoughts, dreams, memories… their minds entirely. It was also the reason some people had special abilities. David's power also allowed him to see who did and who didn't have these abilities.

The only way someone could have an ability, such as a mind reader, was because invisible strings linked their soul and mind to the noosphere. David could see these strings. They were usually white in colour, silky, and waved gently around the person if they had powers. David had several of these silky strings, more than even people with abilities, which made his connection to the noosphere particularly powerful and allowed him to jump in a reach to people's minds, access any knowledge he needed, and so on and so forth. Sadly, it always took a lot out of him physically and left him heavily fatigued, so he didn't jump in very often.

Now, though, he needed to find Ivan Kulikov's mind and ask him what the hell was going on and how to bring Fang back to consciousness. He slowly let out his breath, concentrating on entering the noosphere.

-+-

Max set the newspaper clippings on the ground around her flock. They all looked intensely at the papers.

"These are the papers that I was telling you about," Max said quietly. She read the articles out loud, since Total's reading skills weren't exactly on the ball and she knew he'd complain if she didn't. "It says, 'Mass disappearances aren't exactly new to the world. In fact, they occur widely in third world countries. But, here in Manhattan, massive disappearances of lower class citizens have caught the eye of the Police. Deputy Jesphine says, "Our streets have always been the source of lowlifes, and disappearances are bound to happen. We try our best to protect these people, even if they are on the bottom of the food chain. They're people all the same. But, now, these abductions have skyrocketed over the past month. Just last week there were a total of eleven disappearances. Someone, or a group of people, is attacking the weak, the strong, even the old and the very, very young. No one is safe." The police have recommended a curfew to be set, as the timelines all peg the abductions late at night. Some officers expect organized crime. In any case, it would be best if all of the lower class Manhattan citizen remained indoors at night until this menace is found'." Max glanced up at her flock, waiting for their response.

"You heard the paper, Max," Nudge said quietly. "It could be organized crime… It could be anyone. I mean, the signs are there… but it could be someone else." Max nodded, taking her words as lightly as she possibly could.

"Gasman?" Max asked, looking to her right. The young one had been very quiet, losing a lot of his talkativeness when Iggy had… died. Max swallowed hard, hoping that he would try his best to make it through losing his best friend.

"It sounds like him," he said through his teeth. Max set a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. The flock, even Total, exchanged weird glances.

"Gazzy?" Angel said, walking towards her brother. The Gasman sniffed a little bit, his lip sticking out. His eyes were brimming with tears.

"Why do we have to go find him!?" he shouted suddenly. Max's eyes widened as her mind slowly reached understanding.

"Gazzy! He's our brother!" Nudge said urgently. The Gasman shook his head vigorously.

"I don't care! He tried to kill Angel! Then he killed Iggy! He's dangerous!" he said. Tears spilled over his eyes and he sat on the cold, hard ground and crossed his arms. "I don't want him back! Go without me!"

Max was silent, a little astonished at the Gasman's stubborn ways. She knew he had his moments, but he had always been like her… He was always for staying together and keeping close to his family, even when the flock split for a short time when Ari was around. His newfound anger bothered her. She knelt down and pulled him into a tight embrace that he didn't return.

"I know that Iggy is gone," she said, trying her best not to choke on her words. "I know that we have been through so much and that this family is being tested all the time. With Jeb, the School…" She put a hand on each of his shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Even with those pathetic, fridge-like, franken-Erasers." Gazzy couldn't help but give the tiniest of grins. He wiped his eyes, the tears glistening on his sleeve. He stared at it blankly, trying not to cry again. Max put a hand on his cheek. "We have been through way too much to start hating each other now." Gazzy looked up at her with his big, teary blue eyes.

"But, Max… Iggy," he said, the waterworks beginning all over again. Max held him again and this time the Gasman returned the hug, practically crawling into Max's lap the best way a tall eight-year-old like himself could. Max patted his head.

"I know… I miss him, too. That's why we have to help Fang. He's ill and we have to save him. What if he hurts others? What if he becomes too entirely lost in himself that he's not even Fang anymore? What if he becomes… a monster?" Max forced the words out, her eyes threatening waterworks as well. "Iggy would want us to help him… If we lose Fang _and_ Iggy, then our family will be so much smaller… we'll be that much more alone. I don't know about you, Gazzy, but I don't want to be any more alone than necessary," Max said gently. Gazzy sniffed again, his whimpers muffled by Max's jacket. "Besides," she said, lifting the Gasman's face up. "Are you sure you wanna be surrounded by a bunch of girls?" Gazzy let out another teensy weensy grin and wiped his tears away.

After a few shuddering breaths he stood up. Nudge and Angel went to give him comforting hugs and Total jumped up and licked his face. Gazzy nodded and tried to smile when the others asked if he was all right. Max felt her heart ache as the scene played out. He was her little warrior.

Still, she knew that the pain of Iggy's death would be very hard to get over, especially for Fang. Thinking about him brought another wave of pain that she tried miserably to ignore.

_It's because you love him._

The Voice. Max was almost stunned. She hadn't heard from the Voice in _ages_. It had been so long, in fact, that she had almost allowed herself to think it was gone for good. She was silent, waiting for the Voice to say something else. Nothing came.

She found herself slightly disturbed. The Voice had said that she loved Fang, but she already knew that. At first she had loved him as a brother, but then she fell so deeply in love with him. Strangely, though, hearing it from someone else, even a voice in her head… It made it sound so official…

For the first time in several days, she smiled.

-+-

David opened his eyes at the absence of real-world sounds. He inhaled sharply, surrounded by a field of tall grass and a night sky hovering above him. He looked around, something seeming off. Then, he laughed.

He had obviously jumped into someone's memory or mind. It happened sometimes when David went into the noosphere. Since it was made up of minds it was very difficult to jump in without entering some random person's thoughts. He chuckled again and closed his eyes, concentrating on leaving.

Nothing happened.

_Now_ he panicked. He tried again, but nothing happened. Suddenly, a strange sense of familiarity washed over him. A voice, barely audible, hung in the air. He froze, recognizing the soft sound of the little girl.

Lydia.

He was in Fang's mind.


	11. Can't Cry Part Three

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Canary: I'm on a roll!

Calamity: Huzzah…

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Ten: Can't Cry Part Three

The wing blew gently. The air was cool, refreshing. Everything seemed so peaceful in the night sky that hovered above Fang. He sat up slowly. It was strange, as his movements seemed so free, so unrestricted. He stood and slowly stretched his wings out. The black feathers ruffled slightly in the cool breeze and Fang took that one moment to enjoy it, for he knew it would be over with soon…

He knew right where he was.

-+-

David walked onward, looking every which direction. He kept trying and trying, but he couldn't launch himself from Fang's mind. To make matters worse, that little girl's voice was driving him insane. Still, he trudged on, making his way across the field.

A figure came into his vision. Cautiously, David made his way towards the dark outline. That's when he saw the wings.

"Fang?" he whispered. The figure must have heard it, for it jerked slightly and walked towards David. The Hebrew backed up a few steps until he realized it _was_ Fang.

Fang blinked repeatedly at the sight before him. David, how had he got into his mind? He panicked slightly, thinking maybe he had sucked in the poor creature. He shook his head, realizing that if that were the case, David's eyes would be pitch black, not the rich dark brown that they were now.

David was likewise having second thoughts about Fang's appearance. The other mutant looked very different. David noticed how the dark circles beneath Fang's eyes were completely gone and he stood a little straighter, like his invisible weight was gone. Just then, something whipped by David's head. He yelped and ducked, looking around. Nothing. Just as he went to stand he saw it again... Something whipping by really quickly. Fang's brows furrowed as he watched David.

"What?" he said, his voice laced with panic. David raised his had.

"Hold on…" he said quietly. He closed his eyes a moment, hoping that at least one of his powers worked in Fang's mind. David slowly opened his eyes, the whites of them glowing furiously. He laid his eyes on Fang and gasped. "I knew it…"

"What? What's going on!? How the hell did you get in here!?" Fang said, taking a slightly defensive stance. David remained silent, his eyes wide and glowing and watching Fang with a look of disgust and amazement.

There, surrounding Fang, were thousands upon thousands of those silky strings that attach someone to the noosphere. David watched as they squirmed and twirled around the boy, making him almost invisible in the mass of strings. This alone signified that Fang could _rule the entire noosphere_ _and possibly enter every single person's mind at once_. But, what made matters worse…

The strings were jet black.

The Hebrew's eyes faded back to normal and he seemed to refocus on Fang. He still held a look of astonishment and disgust. Fang waited impatiently, hoping that David would say something… that he wasn't getting sucked in by Lydia as they spoke.

"Tainted… the strings are tainted…" David whispered. Fang raised an eyebrow.

"What? What are you talking about? What the hell are you doing here? Did I… did I bring you in?" he asked. His eyes pleaded with David's in a way the Hebrew had never seen before. This was definitely a different Fang than the one he was used to.

"First you tell me what the hell is going on here," David demanded. Fang looked around, making sure there was no sign of Lydia. He knew she could hear anyways, but he still loathed her very sight… he knew what seeing her meant. It always resulted in pain.

"This is me… my mind… I used to come here when I didn't care…" Fang lifted his arms, the bare forearms exposed and facing David. "You see these scars?" he asked. David nodded. Fang looked at his arms remorsefully. "When I had… When I had to hurt myself to have control, when I had a virus in me… There was so much pain… and darkness…" He had to stop a moment. Some part of him didn't want to relive it. He didn't want to talk about it, almost like it would bring it back. He forced himself to go on. "I had been tortured… So, brutally tortured…" He stopped again, feeling the guilt all over again. He fell to his knees, his heart aching.

Something in David's mind clicked. This was it. This is what Ivan wanted! He wanted Fang to find a way to control his powers! Fang coming to terms with the past… That was the way to do it! He had been running from his past for so long that he was falling prey to those within him! David walked over to Fang and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Fang… You can do it… Tell me what happened?" David said soothingly. Something changed in the air, but he couldn't quite tell what it was. He hoped it was Fang starting to control his powers. Fang shuddered.

"They took me and tortured me…for so long… They put nightmares in my head. They put that awful virus in me. They hurt Max… They hurt Max…" He hugged himself, feeling something deep within him that he hadn't felt in what seemed like eons.

His love for Max.

That's when he felt them. At first he thought he was imagining it, as it wouldn't surprise him. But, as the first one rolled off of his face, he knew it was there. A tear. He was crying for the second time ever in his life. Thinking of Max was the only time that they had ever come out, both in times of extreme pain… And he certainly felt pain, now.

His heart ached and ached. He knew that he would never be able to have her, never be able to hold her… He shuddered again and a sob left his lips. This time, the tears brought no sense of relief. No, these were tears wrought with agony.

"I'll never be able to hold her," Fang whispered. David leaned in closely.

"What?"

"I'll never be able to hold her in my arms… all because of what those bastards did to me… They took her away from me…" Another tear dropped down his cheek. David grinned inwardly. Things were going perfectly according to his plans. He was about to offer more condolence when something made him stop. He looked at Fang's eyes carefully.

Sure, they were teary, but they were open and piercing, looking at some invisible force with absolute rage. David had seen the look before… He remembered it from when Fang's eyes had gone black and he had tried to suck in David's soul.

"Whoa, Fang… C'mon. It's all right. I'm here for you," he said, trying to calm Fang down. Fang glanced at the Hebrew and shrugged him off. Fang stood slowly, the tears on his face slowly getting darker and darker. Another one fell, this tear a deep red colour. David realized that it was the same bloody tears that Fang's victims had always cried. Something was seriously wrong. "Fang," he said, standing as well. "Talk to me."

"Why?" he asked, sounding strangely bitter. David stepped by him, but Fang shot him a glare that froze him in place. He tried to speak, but Fang held up a hand. "She's coming." David was quiet, listening intently. He tried once more to escape, but it didn't work. So, he waited.

A voice, like a piercing screech, whizzed through the air. The sound about sent David to his knees, but Fang seemed unaffected. A small girl began to rise from the ground in front of the two mutants. Her damp, gray curls framed her face and her tattered sundress blew in the breeze. David wondered if this was Lydia. That's when he saw the menacing look in her eyes, the look that matched Fang's. He figured it was safe to assume that the girl was Lydia.

"What are you doing!?" Lydia demanded more than asked. Fang kept his glare, the bloody tears making his face even more menacing than Lydia's.

"I'm sending you away for a while," he stated. Lydia crossed her arms.

"You can_not_ send me away! I am a part of you! I _am_ you, Fang! You need me!" she said, her shrill voice cutting the air. David now understood why Fang crumpled into a heap whenever she spoke.

"I don't think so," Fang said angrily. Lydia's face twisted into anger and she launched herself at Fang. David was ready to duck when Fang's fist suddenly lashed out. He held Lydia in the air by her throat, her feet dangling helplessly as she gasped for air. "I… Don't… Need… You…" Fang seethed. Lydia's eyes widened as Fang crushed her throat. Strange gargling noises escaped from her mouth. He lowered his arm and dragged her body to where she came from the ground and tossed it into the tall grass. David simply stared in shock.

Fang turned and faced the other mutant. David raised his hands in surrender, really wishing that his power worked. Fang stopped a few inches from the Hebrew and looked him in the eyes. David stared at the bloody tears.

"Time to go," Fang said.

-+-

Ivan was silent, like always, simply staring at his computer screens in astonishment. He had never encountered a creature like this before, that's for certain. Not only had Fang been able to get rid of the interference he always had in him, as Ivan's results showed, but his abilities' wave readings were off the charts. Even Ivan's supercomputers were having trouble keeping up with the increasing flow of readings.

Ivan had to admit; he'd had a little bit of doubt in the Hebrew. But, now, David King only had to lure Fang to Regeneration and everything would fall into place.

Everything would be perfect.

-+-

Like… HOLY FJH AIURYAKHEG! DOUBLE UPDATE!


	12. How To Save The World

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Canary: Soooo…. Here's where things go dark!

Calamity: I like Dark!

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Eleven: How To Save The World

David's eyes fluttered open. He saw an orange sky, the clouds glowing with an ominous sort of presence. It made him uneasy. He didn't fully understand why he was lying on his back, much less how he got there. He pushed himself upright and glanced around. He was on a rooftop of some tall building, a skyscraper. He closed his eyes, trying to piece thoughts together…

Anger.

The Noosphere.

Lydia.

Fang.

David's eyes snapped open and he looked around feverishly. There, perched only a few yards away, was Fang. His stance was like David had seen him when he first met him. Predatorial. Only, this time, something was different. Fang's eyes were wide, intent, watching everything below him as if he was stalking something, like a cat silently, patiently stalks a mouse. David slowly stood up.

Fang slowly turned his head, watching the Hebrew. He did nothing, just simply stared. David froze to the spot, not too entirely sure what to do. He was just inside Fang's mind, always joked around as 'the place of no return' and now he was suddenly in the real world again. He didn't understand anything.

"What happened?" he finally asked. Fang turned his gaze away and went back to watching the city intently.

"I brought us out. We didn't need to stay in there," he replied. David noticed that the blood-tears were gone from Fang's face, but his eyes still remained feral. The dark circles beneath them were gone as well. He seemed entirely different. Like a whole new predator.

"What's going on?" David asked, trying to sound casual. He walked over towards Fang and sat on the edge, his feet dangling over it. Fang said nothing, simply watching the sunset, the clouds, and the buildings. David raised an eyebrow and followed his gaze.

The clouds were simply stunning. They held a lovely orange-red hue that accented every curve, every outline. It was breathtaking. The air even seemed to shiver in its stillness.

That's when it hit David.

Stillness. There was not a sound around them.

His eyes widened slightly and he gulped. Slowly, he looked down.

Horror took over his face as he laid eyes on the hundreds of bodies lying everywhere. The alleys, the streets, the sidewalks, he could even see the people in the shop windows. All of them lay lifeless, crumpled unnaturally in a heap… With solid black eyes and bloody tears. David jumped from the edge and backed away from Fang quickly. Fang watched him, not seeming at all alarmed of David's reaction.

"Don't you see?" Fang said slowly. David shook his head furiously.

"What the hell happened!? I thought you were gaining control!" he shouted. Fear escalated into his brain and he felt his right arm quiver, ready to suck in any threat into his left arm. Fang kept his eyes locked on David.

"I did. I wanted to do this," Fang stated. David felt his jaw drop, but he couldn't seem to shut it.

"You didn't want this! That Lydia bitch did! I heard her talking in your head all the time! This is what she wanted! You're the pathetic boy with no control! You wanted to die! Not to kill others!" David said, his voice shaking. Fang's eyes narrowed and he jumped up from the ledge. He started walking towards David, his dark wings outspread. David panicked and backed up… right into a wall. Fang's voice came low and dangerous as he stopped an inch from David's face.

"You are in no place to tell me who am… and what I want."

-+-

Max sat in front of the television, feeling numb inside. The reporter currently displayed kept spouting on about some plague that was affecting all of Manhattan. Apparently, something was spreading, causing the eyes to go black and bleed out. The death toll was staggering and most of the city had been evacuated. Still, some people remained inside as they had sealed off all ways out of the city in order to prevent a further outbreak.

Nudge was silent, holding Max's hand while Angel held the other. The Gasman did his very best to try and be strong; to try and not hate Fang, but it was so hard with news like that. Max didn't say a word. Her insides were ice, frozen solid.

_Max… Sitting here won't save him,_ the Voice said calmly. Max sniffed a little, trying her best to hold back the tumlt of emotions inside her, to stay frozen. If she let her feelings reach her eyes, she would break down and never stop crying. She needed to be strong, like the Gasman was doing. _Max. If you love him, you can't shut down your feelings for him. It will only hurt more in the long run._

_But what if I can't save him? What if he's beyond all hope? It's not like I can take the flock in with me… He would destroy them._

_Leave them in the care of someone you trust… If you don't save Fang… Then you have truly failed in saving the world._

Max's eyes widened. Is this what she had been meant to do the whole time? Every time she was told to save the world… was this what that meant? To save Fang from himself, thus saving the world from his insanity? It was all falling into place… every bit of the puzzle… Even way back to when Jeb had told her…

_"…Even though some things are less important, they are still important…"_

Max felt like she had been hit by a ton of bricks.

This had all been a part of some sick test.

And she failed.

_No, not failed, Max… You just haven't completed it yet,_ the Voice replied. Max felt her chest swell. Her heart was telling her what to do and her mind was telling her not to do it. She wanted so badly to go save him, but what if he truly was beyond all salvation? It had been so hard before, when he was practically reduced to a vegetative state, simply ruled by primary emotions… Had he gone back to that? Was he holed up somewhere and wreaking havoc? Her fists clenched.

"Guys…" she said quietly. Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, and Total all looked up at her, ready to follow her anywhere, even into the pit of death. Somehow she had found the strength to speak with confidence. "I have to save Fang."

"Of course, Max… We want to save him, too," Angel said suddenly. She held up Celeste and Max took the bear, giving Angel a confused look. The child batted her dark long lashes and opened her big, blue, innocent eyes. "But we understand… We'll wait for you." Max couldn't control it anymore.

She knelt down and enveloped the small girl in a tight embrace, right in front of anyone who cared to see a heartbroken mutant. What remained of her flock all hugged her, trying their best to convey their support. Angel broke away and smiled sadly at Max.

"Please… Give Celeste to him. He said it helped him before… maybe it will do it again." Angel turned and faced Nudge, the Gasman, and Total. "We're all gonna stay with Dr. Martinez and Ella for a while," she announced, reading Max's thoughts before she even had them. The flock all nodded silently, save Total.

"Whaaaat?" he said, flapping his barely-there wings. "But we can help! We could split up! Teamwork!" he said urgently, hating the idea of being left behind simply because he wasn't adequate enough to handle it. It painfully reminded her of Iggy… He would have the same objections. She held back an onslaught of emotion.

"I'll drop you guys off there… Please, please, please… Be safe and wait for me to come… for us to come home."

-+-

Fang was alone now, sitting on the edge again. He resisted the urge to lick his fingers. David had tasted so, so good… It was all Fang could do to hold back and make his death as painful as possible. In the end, he absorbed him completely.

But, now with the total silence surrounding the city, his mind began to wander to her… God, how he thought of her… It made him so hungry. He wanted her so badly. He clutched the edges of the roof, his fingertips bleeding. He wanted her…

"I want you…" he found himself saying. He reached out into the air, grasping nothing. And just like that, the pain washed over him all over again. His heart felt like it was being ripped into two. He saw her face, her shimmering hair, her light complexion, her beautiful eyes… He thought of the way she finished his thoughts, how she seemed to know what he was feeling, how they shared all those intimate moments together… He couldn't resist clutching his chest. It hurt so badly, he could feel the pain physically as well as emotionally.

The ache grew. It just kept growing and he kept thinking about her. Her smell, her voice, her laugh, her tears… God, she was beautiful…

And he could never have her.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the empty city. He clutched his chest so tightly that blood seeped through the shirt. "I'm so sorry, Max…" he murmured. A tear fell, bloody and unforgiving. Another followed. "I'm sorry!" he shouted. It was burning him, like a chainsaw through his sternum. He couldn't bear it. He needed to bury it again; he needed to get rid of the need again.

Spreading his wings, he took off into the air, searching for some prey to silence the pain.

-+-

Max jerked her head upward as a pained voice echoed through the air. Even down in the dank ally, surrounded by corpses, Max could distinguish the voice. She had heard it before, when that person was being tortured endlessly. She had to get to him… She had to save Fang.

She suddenly felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

"Something wicked this way comes," she found herself saying. She backed up against the grimy ally wall, pressing as close to it as possible, trying to blend into the shadows. A few second later a shadow passed over and Max heard the slight _whomp, whomp_ of wings flapping. She knew it was Fang, and she knew it was time to go save him.

And save the world.


	13. You

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Twelve: You

Max pushed away from the wall and shot up into the air, trailing silently behind Fang. He didn't seem to acknowledge her at first, so she remained silent. She found herself doubting her plans more and more every second, so she hoped that something would happen before she turned tail, or feather, and fled.

Fang suddenly stopped and Max darted to the side of a building, hiding successfully in the shadows. _What the hell am I doing,_ she asked herself. She watched Fang look around casually, yet with purpose. She watched his eyes. They glanced about frantically, though his stance was relaxed. Something seemed different about him, but Max couldn't quite place it.

"There…" she saw Fang's lips say. She couldn't hear, even in the painful silence. Fang slowly descended, his circles wide and controlled. It was as if he was honing in on something. He seemed to be heading for a large street where several cars were backed up. He perched on the second story ledge of a building on the street corner and watched the strangely empty intersection… waiting…

Suddenly, a child emerged from the wreckage on an opposite street. The small boy, no more than five, wandered carefully into the intersection, looking fearfully around him. Max covered her mouth at the sight of him. His curly blonde hair, like that of Angel's, was matted with blood and his entire face was spattered with the substance, save two clean streaks from his tears. He sniffed and hiccupped as his tears silently fell. He reached the middle of the intersection and stopped.

"Hello?" the boy said, his tiny voice strangely audible in the vast expanse of the city. "Mommy?" he said, fresh tears rolling off his cheeks with a new intensity. "Mommy!" he said with more urgency. There was no reply. The child softly repeated his call, unaware of the evil that was so near.

Max watched as Fang tensed and leapt from the edge. Fang's sudden exposure in the amber rays of sunlight frightened the child and he froze in silence. Fang landed a few yards away from the boy. He seemed petrified as Fang slowly circled him, just like a predator.

"What have we here?" Fang said calmly. The child didn't respond. Fang grinned. "All alone? No… Mommy? What a shame. Oh well, she couldn't protect you from me anyways. No one could."

"Except me!"

Fang turned abruptly as Max glided down to the open intersection. Fang's eyes flickered recognition for only a second, but his face was still seemed foreign to Max. She took a step towards him.

"What… how…" Fang seemed bewildered and didn't know how to respond. His gaze went from her to the child, as if he was deciding whether or not he wanted the boy or wanted to run. _Run,_ Max urged Fang with her mind. _Run and I'll find you…_

As if he heard her thoughts, Fang whipped out his wings and took off into the fading sunlight. The last of the sun's rays were barely peaking through the buildings. Max knew that the safety of light would abandon her soon. She walked quickly to the child.

"Are you alright?" she asked the boy. He looked up at her with pleading eyes and she momentarily thought of the rest of the flock. They were still waiting for her. "Hey… Are you okay?" she asked again. She laid a hand gently on the child's shoulder. Suddenly, the child wrapped his arms around her waist and was sobbing. Max looked around her, not too entirely sure what to do. She needed to catch up to Fang, find him before he found someone else. She gently pulled the child away. "Listen to me," she said, tilting the child's head up. "What's your name?"

"G-Gabe."

"Gabe? Alright, Gabe. Now, I need you to listen to me. It's very important that you do, alright?" Max said sternly. The child nodded eagerly. "Right. You see that car over there?" Max asked, pointing to an empty Buick. The child nodded again. "I need you to go inside that car and wait for me there. Stay there and don't go _anywhere_. You understand me?" The child nodded once again. "Good. Once I take care of things, I'll be back for you. We'll find your parents. But you need to _stay there until I come back_." Max stood slowly. Without any hesitation, the child ran to the car, climbed inside and closed the door. He looked out at Max with his big, teary eyes. After a second, he looked to the side and Max heard the doors lock. She grinned, _smart kid_.

With that taken care of, Max turned from the intersection and took off in Fang's direction, hoping that he hadn't gone too far and that she could find him in time.

-+-

Ella put a couple marshmallows in the cocoa and set the mug on the kitchen table in front of Total. Still, the mutant dog seemed uninterested. She frowned in worry and pulled up a chair next to him.

"Don't worry, Total. I'm sure Max and Fang will make it back. Max kicks butt, and Fang seems like a strong person, too," she said, scratching the dog lightly between the ears. Total sighed and looked at the mug. After a few moments more of thought he began to lap up the warm liquid. Ella smiled sadly and continued to pet him softly.

Dr. Martinez sat down quietly on the chair opposite Angel and the Gasman. The three exchanged worried looks.

"So… Max has gone to get Fang and stop him from hurting others… That's what this is about?" she asked. Angel nodded.

"Fang was hurt badly as a baby," Angel said, sipping at her cocoa. Dr. Martinez gave her a questioning look.

"Hurt?"

"Yeah. Like, not on the outside," Angel said, waving one arm dramatically. "He was hurt on the inside." She touched her index finger to her temple. The Gasman said nothing. He also hadn't touched his cocoa.

"Gazzy?" Dr. Martinez said softly, noting his silence.

"I still say we could have helped Max. Without… Without everyone together, it's gonna be so much harder on her. We could have helped!" Gazzy said, still obviously feeling the pain of being left behind.

"I'm sure Max had her reasons for leaving you here," Dr. Martinez said gently. "She obviously wants you to protect Angel and Total. With you being the oldest left while she and Fang and… And Iggy are gone, well, that makes you kind of like second in command," she said. The Gasman seemed to lighten up a little at the compliment.

"Yeah… I guess you're right," he said quietly.

-+-

Max flew around the building one more time. She was sure that she had seen Fang around the building rooftop just a moment ago, but when she arrived he was gone. After the third circle she landed on the ledge, frustrated. She kicked a random object off the ledge in anger.

"Why are you here?" a voice said behind her. Max whipped around to see Fang emerge from the shadows. She had forgotten about his little blending ability. She kicked herself mentally.

"Fang?" she said quietly. Fang emerged further from the shadows, fully into the twilight. Max finally realized what was different about him. He seemed to stand straighter and his face didn't look haunted like it used to. He almost seemed… healthier.

"You really are here?" he said quietly, disbelieving. Max watched him silently, trying to hold herself back. "Or am I imagining you again…" he said, disappointed. Max couldn't stop herself. She ran forward and threw her arms around Fang.

"Oh, Fang! It is me! I'm really here! I'm here to save you, to help you, to bring you home!" she said, her words running together. Fang stood there dumbly for a moment before slowly sliding his arms around Max.

"So you _are_ real…" he mumbled. Max nodded into his shoulder.

"Fang, I was so worried about you… You left… And the deaths…" She lifted her head, her eyes looking up into his dark ones. "Fang… what happened?" Fang slowly released her, taking a couple steps back.

"What happened?" he asked, his tone borderline sarcastic. "I'll tell you what happened. This," he said, stepping on the ledge of the rooftop and spreading his arms wide, "is what happened." Max watched him silently. "I was caged, trapped, and then someone set me free." He turned to face Max, his look passive.

"You call this freedom?" Max asked, taking a step towards him. Fang eyed her warily. "Fang… all these people had lives, had families… You have a family. We need you to come home to us, Fang," she said. A shiver went up her spine. Fang looked away from her as a sad smile graced his lips.

"Family… Like I could ever be in a real family, Max. You know that's not possible. I'm too dangerous. Look at what happened to Iggy," he said. Max felt a sting in her heart. He said it so casually, like it didn't even matter.

"I know you didn't mean to, Fang. It was an accident. All of this is an accident-"

"An accident!?" Fang spat out, turning to face Max. She took a step back and clenched her fists slightly. "No, Max… These people… I _wanted_ them to die. I _like_ having them. The feeling of their souls, how good they taste as I consume them…" His eyes closed and a wicked smile appeared. "I want to do this, Max. There is no _accident_." Max's eyes widened. She raised her fists and looked deep into Fang's eyes, trying to reason with him.

"Fang, you know that's not true. You know that you want to be free of those nightmares… to stay with me… Please, come with me," she pleaded. Fang took a couple steps towards her, the wicked grin on his face.

"Oh, it's true, Max. And you know who I've wanted to have the most? Out of everyone?" he asked. He ran a cold finger down her cheek. "You."


	14. 1 Percent

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Thirteen: 1%

Max stepped away from him. He definitely was a different Fang now than she had ever seen. She knew all his faces by heart… His calm, cold face that he usually kept present all the time, the subtle yet agonizing look he let escape when he thought no one was looking, the coy and warm smile that he sometimes saved for Max, the distant shell of a creature when he was under the influence of his powers, and the comatose Fang. This Fang, though, was something different entirely. It was if someone had taken his calm and cold personality and injected it with venom. It was truly frightening.

"Oh, come now, Max… I want you… Don't you want me, too? Isn't that why you came here in the first place?" Fang asked. He stepped close to her again and twirled a strand of her hair. His sickly sweet voice made her feel nauseous.

"Stop it…" she muttered. Against her will, she jerked from his hold and put on her fiercest mask. "I came to rescue Fang, not you." Fang chuckled a strange, melodic yet mad chuckle.

"This _is_ me, Max! Don't you get it!? I am this," he said, his voice absolute. Max lowered her gaze to the ground.

"So… this is what you have chosen. You want to give up, then?" she said, trying and failing miserably to keep her voice above a whimper. Fang shrugged.

"There was never a choice to make. Like I said, I am this and always have been."

"Liar!" Max shouted, using the growing pain in her heart to fuel her anger. "I knew a Fang that used to fight against this! He used to care for the flock… for me… He _wanted_ to get better!" Her fists clenched as she glared daggers at Fang. His smug grin faded and was replaced by a cold, distant look.

"Yeah," he said, lifting up his arms so that the pulsing bruise-like scars were visible. "And look how far that got us." Max winced as she saw the healed wounds. Fang took an almost imperceptible step forward. "Don't you see, Max? I was fighting against something that was a part of me… I was killing myself without even meaning to. Ah, this freedom! I feel no pain! The headaches, the nausea, it's all gone!" Max let her fists drop slightly. Fang took another step towards her. "Do you really want to take that all away from me?" he asked in that same sickly sweet voice. Max fought back several emotions at once.

"Fang… We can help each other… Please… Don't do this. You know what I have to do if you refuse to come with me… to get help…" She forced the words out of her mouth, but allowed herself to look at the rough edge of the building instead of facing Fang.

It hit Fang before he could sense it. The gaping hole that his heart felt like was searing in agony all over again. He felt as if someone had stuck a searing hot iron in his chest and burned the edges of his heart. Unwillingly, he clutched his chest and his breath came is short gasps. Despite the subtleness of it, Max saw his sudden change.

"I guess all the pain isn't gone, is it?" she said, growing braver. She was the one who stepped forward this time. "I can see it in your eyes, Fang. Something is hurting you… You have to come with me… Please, Fang," she said softly. She watched in slight horror as black tears fell from Fang's eyes. She did her best to keep composure. "I can see it in your eyes…" she repeated.

Fang stepped away from her, all his will suddenly gone. This girl, Max, his Max… Suddenly she was dangerous. She didn't hurt him before. In fact, she seemed so weak compared to his nightmares, but now… He clutched his chest again as another ripple of agony went through it. He shook his head, his eyes becoming more menacing.

"You are weak…" he said, his voice low, threatening. Max shook her head.

"No, Fang… I think it's you who are the weak one… But you can fight back! C'mon, Fang! I didn't drag your ass out of some hole in the ground a year ago for you to give up now! You beat them at their own game last time! Do it again! You can win against what's inside you!" She stepped closer now, only a few inches away from him. Her eyes pleaded along with her words. "Become the Fang I once knew… Come back to me…"

It was all too much.

"No!" Fang shouted, launching himself at Max. She was caught off guard, but managed to use his sudden momentum to swing around him. He missed her by only a few centimeters. "I'm not going back! I _want_ this, Max!" he shouted. Everything in Max's head, aside from the Voice, screamed at her that Fang was an enemy; that he was a cold blooded killer and needed to be stopped.

_Save the world, Max._

_Hmph_, she thought. _Speak of the Devil and the Devil…_

_I'm serious, Max. He's dangerous, deadly, and very unstable. If you don't save him someone _will_ get to him before you do… And, trust me, the options aren't good._

Max rolled her shoulders, trying to make sense of the advice. So, basically, she had two options: save Fang, or kill him herself. She shuddered.

"Fang… I'm… I'm only going to ask you this one more time… Please, come home. Don't let it be this way," she pleaded. Fang crouched into a preditorial position. His eyes flickered back and forth between rage and pleasure. She shuddered again. After a moment of silence, Max hung her head, forcing back tears. "I understand."

The clouds darkened quickly, the whole situation seeming surreal. Max tensed. With anger and agony treading through her heart, she knew what she had to do.

At the first drop of rain, it began.

Fang launched himself at Max, using all of his force to try and land a nice and hard kick on her stomach. Max easily dodged and tried an elbow jab to her left. Her arm flung through empty air as Fang appeared to her right. She had to duck as he heel came crashing down above her head. She could smell the rubber of his boot as it passed by her face. Thinking quickly, she pushed off the ground and jumped back from the fight a few feet. Fang copied her.

Then, both combatants launched themselves into the air. Airborne combat was a little more difficult, but left Max more options than the rooftop did. She swung tightly behind Fang and actually managed a nice crack at his spine. With a cry he sank about a foot before tilting backwards and bringing his boot up to connect with her chest. Max's breath left her with a _whoosh_ and she plummeted. Fang zipped after her, honing in on his prey.

Max pushed her feet off of the building, sending her speeding in another direction. The angle was too quick for Fang to compensate for and she was able to get higher before he chased after her. She paused, breathing hard. Fang was silent in the air. Max suddenly felt uneasy, like she had been missing something.

_Keep him moving, Max!_ The Voice shouted in her head. She obeyed without question. She quickly went full bore at Fang, throwing a shoulder into his. The collision was painful, but seemed to stop him from whatever he was about to do. He righted himself and rose above her, probably for another drop-down attack. She flew upward, trying to get level with Fang. Suddenly, she noticed something.

Fang wasn't in the air anymore.

She looked around her, panic leaking even more adrenaline into her veins. Something wasn't right, she obviously knew that. Not knowing where Fang was put a bad taste in her mouth. Something was seriously wrong.

_On the roof!_

Once again, she obeyed without question. She turned to see Fang standing on the edge of the roof, his eyes lowered to the ground, black tears falling. His tense body, the ever pulsing scars, the electricity in the air around him…

Oh.

Max flew as fast as she could at Fang, even pouring on her supersonic speeds. If he summoned his nightmares, her chances at winning _or_ saving him were over. That's when she noticed it, sticking out of the building, directly behind Fang. So, she did the only thing she could do, and it was the most horribly painful decision of her life.

She contacted with Fang, sending him flying backwards into the large metal rebar that jutted from a slightly collapsed part of the building. Blood sprayed on her face as the rod ripped through Fang's flesh, piercing through the right side of his chest. He gasped in pain, the air's electricity dissipating and the dark look in his eyes gone. The black tears sucked back into his eyes and he let out a cry of agony.

Max stepped back, her eyes wide. She covered her mouth with her hands, trying to gain control of herself. She had never hurt other members of the flock before… Especially not her right-hand man. She watched in horror as Fang writhed in pain, gasping and gripping the metal bar with his left hand. Max rushed to his side and pressed on the wound, trying to slow the bleeding.

"Oh, God… Fang, oh, God… I'm so sorry…" Tears that she had been holding back since he left fell freely from her face as she watched him gasp and cry out. "Fang… Oh, my God, I'm so sorry…" She felt utterly at a loss. She had to stop him… She had to keep him from falling prey to thenightmares. It was the only way…

Fang opened his eyes, looking at her with a look of pure rage, then betrayal, then pain… Then, after another fit of agony, he looked at her with so much relief she almost wondered if the rebar wasn't even there, just one of his allusions. But, his eyes were no longer full of anger, or rage, or malice… They were Fang's dark, brooding, yet peaceful and kind ones. Max shook her head.

"No, no, no, no…" she said, cupping his face in her hands. Her choked up breathing broke her words apart and she failed at trying to speak again. Fang slowly reached up, putting a cold, shivering hand on her cheek.

"H-hey… Don't… please…" His eyes rolled backwards and his body quivered again, his lips trembling. The rain had started to wash some of the blood away from Max's face. She watched as it ran down his outstretched arm. She grabbed his cold hand and held it to her face.

"Let me help you…" she whimpered, talking through her tears. Fang shook his head slowly, shivering again.

"You already ha-ha-have…" he whispered. "I w-was going t-t-to k-kill… everyone… Th-thank… thank you for st-stop-p-ping m-me…" He shuddered again, this time, crying out softly as the metal bar grated against him. Max shook her head again.

"No! I can help you! Dr. Martinez… She can fix you, Fang!" She clutched to his ever-weakening hand, not willing to let go. She knew that there was no way Fang would survive the trip from Manhattan to her mom's house… and she knew she couldn't carry him there. Still, she would try.

"P-p-please…" Fang whispered. He reached up with both arms, wincing at the effort, and pulled Max down so that her head rested against the left side of his chest; against his heart. Max listened to his ragged breathing. Definitely a punctured lung… His steadily slowing heart made her own speed up dramatically. As if he felt it, Fang meekly held her tighter to him. He had finally lost all feeling in his legs, and his fingers were starting to go numb as well.

"Please, Fang… I know that Mom can help…" Max said, trying one more time to sway him for the impossible. He sighed, trying his best to show that he didn't hurt. In fact, he was starting to hurt less and less as the time went by.

"Max… Let… Let me go…" he finally said. Max's eyes widened as she finally accepted it. He meant for her to let him die. She buried her face into his chest as she felt his breathing get slower and slower. Fang leaned his head forward into her hair, trying his best to memorize the scent. His numb fingers sat idly against her bare arm. He only wanted to touch her, to feel her one more time… And now he couldn't smell her. Her lovely scent was gone as he felt the numbness creep along his spine. So, he watched her cry. Taking in the way she gripped his shirt, the way her knuckles were white as she gasped with sadness, the way her hair flitted in the breeze, the way her skin seemed so smooth and flawless, save the scars of battle, the way her eyebrows pulled… together when she was angry… the way… her lips curved… when… she… smiled…

Silence.

Rain.

Silence.

Rain.

Rain.

Rain.

Max couldn't feel him anymore.

She couldn't hear his soft breathing.

She couldn't feel the warmth that used to be on his smooth skin.

She couldn't feel the usually taunt muscles beneath his wiry frame.

She couldn't see his dark eyes behind the long closed lashes.

She knew it… Knew that he was gone. There was nothing left for him to fight against. She had let him go, like he had asked. He would never have to feel pain, feel anger, feel sadness… The constant turmoil inside of him would no longer trouble him. He would be at peace…

Max smiled as tears slowly slid down her face. How selfish she had been… She had wanted to save him, to keep him to herself. She had wanted him to reject the very thing he was just so that he could be with her. He would suffer, she knew that, but she still wanted to be with him. So, now that she had let him go, he could be in peace… Finally.

-+-

Ivan stared at the screen. The chopper was only a few miles away and the life signs had finally fizzled out into none. He growled and kicked the door of the chopper. This made things so much more complicated.

"Well, boss… If the thing's dead… Doesn't that kinda mean we got nothing to come get?" the co-pilot asked. Ivan glared viciously at him.

"You idiot! This _thing_ you're talking about is a much more complex creature than that!" he growled. The co-pilot scratched his head.

"But the monitor says that he's dead."

"His heart has stopped beating, that's all," Ivan said acidly. When the co-pilot turned away he allowed himself one little wicked grin. "This creature's life mainly lives off of his heart… but as long as there are those souls inside of him…" His grin grew. "There's always a 1% chance of revival."

-+-

Nya! Is he dead? Is he not? Ho ho ho!


	15. Cut

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Fourteen: Cut

Max opened her eyes, her skin stiff and her tears stale. The distant sound of a helicopter's wings filled her ears. Someone was coming. She stood, looking again at the face that had carved a place deep in her heart. He was still, his skin pale, the blood on the bar jutting from his chest dry. She couldn't even bring herself to cry. Slowly, she eased Fang forward. His body was still limp.

The metal made a scraping noise as it rubbed against one of his bones. Max's breath caught in her throat, but she held strong. She was surprised at how light Fang was, even though he was an avian hybrid. He just seemed too light to her. She gasped as she saw the gash in his right wing. So, the bar had pierced that as well.

"There, there, Fang..." she said gently, cradling his head. His pale face appeared peaceful. "I won't let them take you," she whispered. She didn't even bother looking up as the chopper landed. She didn't care if her life was in danger anymore. She didn't care if they dragged her away and tortured her as well. She felt as though she deserved as much and she couldn't bring herself to leave Fang to them.

The blades of the chopper were still slowing was Ivan Kulikov launched himself from the aircraft and strode right up to Max. Several armed men followed him, but he motioned for them to stay back. So, alone, he approached the two mutants.

Max didn't look up as he approached, still picking debris out of Fang's hair, brushing it out of his eyelashes, wiping away smudges of blood…

"So… In the end you killed him," Ivan stated. Max paused, the force of his words piercing her heart with such intensity that she might as well have thrust herself on the metal bar.

"He was in pain… I did what I had to in order to help him," she murmured. Ivan scoffed.

"Right, right. That's how you justify killing him, of course. Well, since you're done with him, we'll take him off your hands. Step away from the corpse," he commanded. Max glared up at him, putting as much malice into her eyes as she could.

"You really think I would just hand him over to you monsters? You're the ones that made him this way. You _made_ it so that I had to… to kill him. You monsters did this…" She looked back to Fang's peaceful form, further fueling her rage. "You are _evil_."

Ivan was silent a moment. He had been called everything under the sun, him and Regeneration. Of course, _evil_ had been among those names. Still, because of the way she said it to him, he found himself shuddering at her words. It was as if because she said such a thing, revenge was to be exacted. An inkling of fear trickled through him, but he quickly dismissed it. Why should he be afraid of this weak mutant?

"I don't care what you say, he is our property. He belongs to Regeneration; we designed him, we built him, we helped him hone his abilities. He is our most powerful weapon and our greatest achievement since Omega. Therefore, if you don't move, I'll make your present death more painful than it really needs to be," Ivan said, his temper starting to flare once again. He glared acidly at Max, daring her to object.

"You. Wont. Touch. Him," she growled. Ivan sighed, trying to reign in his temper.

"Fine." He waved his hands and the armed men converged on Max.

_Max… don't be ridiculous. Get out of here. Fang's dead and there's nothing more you can do._

_I can't leave him… Not to these dogs._

_Don't worry, Max. There's nothing they can do to hurt him now. Up and away. Pour on your speed. You have a flock to take care of. If you sit here and let yourself die because of this then you will let them down._

_I…_

Max looked up at Ivan, still holding her malice. As much as she hated to admit it, the Voice was right. She couldn't let down what few members of her flock were left. So, she snapped open her wings, launched herself into the air, and shot through the skies at her supersonic speeds…

…Leaving behind her heart forever.

-+-

Total yawned tiredly as he watched the grass dance in the wind. The bright sunshine of morning did nothing to lighten his mood. It had been the longest time of his life, waiting for Max and Fang to come home. Angel was sitting next to him, patting his fur softly. Gazzy was also outside, sitting on the steps with the largest scowl on his face.

Angel suddenly looked up, her eyes to the sky. Total did likewise.

"What is it?" the Gasman asked, following their gaze. That's when he saw it, the winged figure high in the sky, slowly making its way towards the house. Gazzy looked at Angel, but she wasn't paying attention to anything but the figure descending.

Max landed less than graceful and was greeted by three enthusiastic shouts. She hugged the two children and Total as they bombarded her. Nudge appeared from the house, followed by Ella, and soon Max was surrounded by children. She closed her eyes tightly, avoiding tears at all costs. She knew she would have some explaining to do… and she wasn't sure if she could get through it without waterworks.

"Max… Where's Fang?" Nudge asked, as if she heard Max's thoughts. Everyone grew silent. Max looked up to see her mother, Dr. Martinez, standing in the doorway. She sighed.

"C'mon… There's something… that you guys need to know."

Quickly and eagerly, everyone situated themselves in the living room. Nudge, the Gasman, Ella, and Total were all crowded on the couch while Dr. Martinez stood behind it. Max sat in a chair opposite the group with Angel in her lap. Everyone was silent, waiting anxiously for her to start. So, Max took a deep breath.

"I found Fang," she began, more quiet than she liked. She cleared her throat. "But, he…"

"Why isn't he home!?" Nudge demanded. Dr. Martinez laid a hand on Nudge's shoulder. Max's frown deepened.

"Nudge… You understand that the darkness in Fang was strong, right?" Max asked. Nudge's eyes widened slightly.

"_Was_…?"

"It… It was too strong for Fang. He couldn't fight it anymore… He had decided to join with it. There was… nothing I could do…" Max said quietly. Angel turned to face her.

"Celeste… did you give him Celeste? It helped him last time…" she anxiously. Max stuck her hands in her pockets and sighed.

"I'm really sorry Angel, but I think I dropped her while…" She paused as images of Fang attacking her flitted through her mind. Angel looked away.

"Oh…"

"But, still!" Nudge said, refusing to remain calm. "Why isn't he here!?" Max eyed each and every one of the members of her family, trying to find the best way to explain it. She could feel her eyes stinging with warning.

"Nudge… I need you to understand… he was dangerous and he had to be stopped. He refused to come home with me… He _wanted_ the murder and the death… He had to be stopped…" She trailed off. Fang's agonized, speared body entered her vision, his betrayed, angry, and finally relieved face filling her mind. "He had to be stopped," she repeated, her body growing cold. Angel twisted around and faced her with a look of horror. Big tears filled her innocent eyes.

"Oh, Max…" she whispered. She buried her face in Max's sweatshirt, sobbing loudly. Nudge's eyes widened as everything fell into place.

"Max… You didn't…" she breathed. Max's eyes pleaded with her.

"Nudge, listen to me… He had to be stopped… He _wanted_ to kill people!" Max said, her throat threatening a sob to join Angel's. Nudge simply closed her mouth, glared at Max for a good long moment, and then stormed out of the living room. Ella came over to hug Max, tears filling her eyes as well. Total buried his head in the cushions of the sofa, trying to mask his sobs, and Dr. Martinez walked over to Max and held her with Ella and Angel. Gazzy sat and stared at the floor, several confused emotions flying through his eyes. Max saw hate and rage in there, but she thought she saw, if only for a second, relief.

Her body went rigid as all of the events sank in. Even when they weren't around, the white coats were causing so much damage that there was no way to repair it. They took Iggy away from her through Fang, and now they took Fang, too. Her body shook.

That was it.

No more.

-+-

The black body bag was laid carefully on the cold, steel slab. The lab workers moved cautiously around it, opening it just a few inches to inspect the contents, only to zip it up and waltz away. It was when Ivan arrived that the curious white coats finally left the bag alone.

Ivan reached over carefully and unzipped the bag halfway down, viewing the precious contents. There lay Fang, his body cold, but not rigid, his alabaster skin contrasting so much with his black hair and the dark red stains of blood that covered his shirt. Ivan put on his glasses and inspected the large puncture wound in his chest wound carefully.

"Oh! So this is the new guy!"

Ivan about rolled under the steel slab. He whirled around to glare venomously at the energized young girl who bounced happily before him. She giggled and danced around him, her movements seeming surreal.

"Aww… he's beautiful," she cooed, brushing some of his longer strands of hair out of his face. "He's the one you want me to bring back, right?" she asked, flicking her chin length, straight, brown hair out of her face. Ivan cleared his throat, keeping his eyes on Fang's body.

"Yes. He's to be revived," he said. He mentally growled as the girl observed him. Her tan skin was only covered by a pair of cut off, jean shorts and a gauze-wrapped torso. Her big brown eyes looked so innocent compared to the demeanor she possessed; Ivan couldn't help but get thrown off every time he saw her. "So, Miss King, can you do this?"

"M'name's Sarah, sir," she said playfully. Ivan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm ready." She grinned and stepped to the head of Fang. She closed her eyes for a moment. Suddenly, she opened them, the whites glowing. "Oh…" she breathed. "Holy crap… I've never seen so many strings before! No wonder this bad boy will still live! His soul's just hangin' out in the noo!" She giggled again and continued to focus on the strings which were invisible to Ivan.

"Now, Sarah, this creature proved to be too much for your brother to handle. I am… _required_ to ask you if you are surely up to this," Ivan mumbled. Sarah's grin grew.

"David was an idiot," she stated. "He charged in head first, like a moron, and got himself killed. Me, I'm not so stupid…. Now, I've gotta warn you… By cutting these strings he's going to be entirely powerless as far as his little nightmare thing goes; at least until they grow back. Also, because they are so deeply attached, cutting them can cause him to go… well, pretty much null for a while. Also, he'll most likely suffer from amnesia. So, with all those risks in mind, are _you_ up to this, Mr. Kulikov?" Sarah asked, her smile coy. Ivan growled.

"Get on with it," he ordered. Sarah stuck her tongue out at his general direction, but promptly regained focus. She held her hands above Fang, moving them in strange and fluid ways, as if her arms were commanding the ocean. Every once in a while her hands would jerk and she would grin. Still, she kept up with her art, Ivan watching patiently, for once, off to the side.

"There…" she whispered. Her hand snapped out and grabbed at something in the air. In her eyes, the only, single white strand was all that remained; all the thousands of long, swirling black strings had been cut. She grinned at the white string and gave it a good, sudden squeeze.

Fang's eyes bursts open and his body sputtered to life. He began to cough vigorously, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. His body arched and his mouth gaped as pain shot through his every nerve.

"Don't worry, Fang," Sarah cooed. "This is normal. Once every dead nerve, every dead organ, and every dead feeling is awake, which is a usually painful process, you're revival will be over and you can come back to the living." She gave the string another squeeze. Fang arched his back again, this time his voice finally reaching him. He let out whimpers and cries of agony as his body re-awakened. His muscles clenched and a cold sweat broke out onto his already cold body, his veins pulsing purple and his scars appearing bruised in color. Then, after about a minute more of the torture, it was done.

Sarah closed her eyes, only to open them and have to glow gone. She looked down at Fang, his eyes closed and his brows furrowed, his breathing sharp and coming in small gasps. She brushed his long bangs out of his face again, admiring his looks.

"He's so handsome… and his hair… You guys never let the experiments here have long hair… And look! His bangs are so long… Heh, even the back is a little long… and it's the loveliest shade of black…" Ivan grabbed her shoulder and jerked her away.

"Stop. He's not some little toy for you to play with," Ivan said, acid in his words. Sarah pouted.

"But! But! He's going to be around, right? I'll get to play with him! Besides… You were specifically told that I was to be with him as he recovered… To coach him on how to use his powers with expert control, not be ruled by emotions and hunger," she said, her bottom lip even sticking out. Ivan rolled his eyes.

"Grow up," he grumbled, reaching for a phone and dialing the lab assistants. Sarah pouted for about two more seconds, but her demeanor quickly changed to that of one victorious. She knew she had won, and she just couldn't wait to play with her new toy.


	16. Awake

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Fifteen: Awake

Sarah hummed gently to herself as she strolled into the DETOX room. The room was deserted and filled with an eerie green glow. She gazed towards the glow's location; a large tube in the center of the room. Sever wires and tube-lines came from the glass cylinder, all connecting to the several monitors that silently logged and saved information on the cylinder's sole occupant.

Fang.

Sarah pressed her fingers on the glass, staring at the subject inside. Fang was suspended in the greenish water, a black, metal band around his hips the only thing covering his otherwise naked form. All sorts of wires and mechanical objects were attached to Fang's long, sinewy form. Sarah could see certain fluids flowing in, certain fluids flowing out, and even a few electrical pulses shooting through to keep Fang's heart stimulated.

She tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear as her eyes roamed over Fang's vulnerable state. The scientists had buzzed all of his long, black hair, leaving his face more open than before. Sarah had never gotten a good look at it, save for when he was dead in the lab. Even then, Sarah was able to use his remaining strings to bring him back.

"Y'know… It really makes me sad, Fang," Sarah said to the glass. She breathed on it lightly and drew a small heart in the fog. "I really liked your long hair." She glanced up at the young man in the test tube, waiting to see if he heard her.

No reaction.

She sighed. "Just as I expected. Totally brain dead." She knocked her knuckle on the glass a few times. There was no response. "Y'know, I suppose that can be a good thing. We can start over from scratch; make you a whole new person." She felt her mind start to calculate all the possibilities. "Yes. You'll be a whole new sort of creature," she stated, a sickly sweet smile on her face. "A whole new kind of _nightmare_."

-+-

_January._

_February._

_March._

_April._

_May._

_June._

-+-

Max put the rest of the sandwiches on the picnic table. Dr. Martinez, her mother, had finally made a delicious deli lunch and the flock, along with Total, was sitting eagerly in the shade of a large tree. Ella skipped over to the table as well, awaiting her sandwich.

"Oh, boy, Max! Gimme, gimme, gimme!" Angel said, bouncing in her seat.

"Hey, now. You'll get it, patience," she said. Angel nodded, her long hair drawn back in a braid. Max couldn't believe how much she had grown. She was almost eight years old and was already tall and slim for her age. Her usually mildly, curious, blue eyes were now fully inquisitive as she grew. Max set the sandwich in front of Angel, who quickly resorted to scarfing it down.

Nudge smiled warmly as Max handed her a sandwich. Nudge's usually shoulder-length, frizzy, brown hair was almost to her waist. She had learned how to manage the frizz that usually came with it and it lay in a sleek manner around her shoulders. Max sighed and ran a hand along the length of her hair. Ella was already stroking Nudge's hair and grabbed a sandwich from Max, a big grin on her face.

Lastly, the Gasman sat at the end of the table, as far from the rest of the group as he could possibly be. His blond hair grew longer than he would have normally allowed it and his body was also going through a growth spurt. Max set the sandwich in front of him, but he simply stared off into space. Max looked at his painfully dull blue eyes, waiting for some reaction. He was almost eleven, wasn't he? Or was he twelve? She found it so hard to tell with his eyes, which looked like they'd been around a thousand years.

"Gazzy," she said gently. She ruffled his hair a little. He didn't bother fixing it. "Listen," she said sternly. "You have to eat _something_. You're already just skin and bones now. C'mon… Don't you want to be all big and strong?" she asked. She hated talking to him like he was five, but it was the only way she could think of getting him to eat. Still, he remained motionless, watching nothing. She sighed. "Just… _try _to eat it, alright?" she said, standing. She lowered a smaller tray to the seat and Total hopped up, happily tearing away at the sandwich.

Max watched the bittersweet scene before her. Everyone was there, together. At least, what was left. Angel and Nudge were turning into lovely young ladies and Gazzy was beginning to look older with every day. Max, herself, had almost reached seventeen. She still wasn't sure about their expiration dates, but the fact that she was alive meant that the rest of the flock still had more time. Even Dr. Martinez was taking joy in their stay. She'd made a slew of sandwiches to fit the flock's appetite.

Silently, Max wandered back into the house, certain that her flock would be satisfied with the delicious sandwiches. She slowly opened the door to her room and entered. She didn't know why, but it seemed so quiet to her. She closed the door quietly behind her and went to stand in front of the mirror. She was still a moment, watching her reflection. It seemed the same as it had always been; a sturdy Max who fought and protected what was dear to her. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Then, slowly, she began to _really_ look at her reflection. It was then that she noticed her long blond hair looked a little more scraggily than it usually did. She saw that her cheekbones were more pronounced and that her eyes seemed more tired. Everything about her was worn and tired. Even her muscled and advanced hybrid body appeared thinner than normal, though not as bad as the Gasman's.

With one final once-over, she walked over to her window and drew the curtains closed. The room was dark, save the barely-there illumination beneath the curtains. She walked over to her bed and drew back the covers. With almost complete silence she crawled in and buried herself deep within the blankets, curling up into the fetal position. This was the only time she didn't have to be strong, the only time she didn't have to prove to the rest of the flock, to Ella, to her mother, that it was all okay.

Because, it wasn't.

-+-

It was a hot day on the compound. Most of the white coats were either in shade or in the nicely cooled indoors, studying their projects in comfort. They bustled about busily, fulfilling their daily duties without interruption.

Still, not everyone was milling around so mindlessly. Sarah King was too busy having fun tormenting the white coats who _were _minding their own business. She loved scaring them by infiltrating their minds. Of course, it was only a little temporary scare, but it was still fun.

The fun didn't last long, though, as Sarah had other obligations. She carried the tray delicately on her hands. A plastic-wrapped deli sandwich was placed perfectly in the middle, a bottle of water set neatly on the side. She expertly danced around the white coats as she made her way towards her destination. It was, after all, feeding time.

She finally reached the large, white double doors. A single lift lock was all that barred the entrance. Of course, when the contents of the room were completely brain dead, super secure precautions weren't on the white coats' priority list. So, she lifted the bar lock and proceeded into the stark-white room.

"Hello, Fang," she said happily to the lone figure in the corner. She set the tray on the ground and began to unwrap it. "Today's lunch is a deli sandwich. I highly suggest you try eating this. I mean, I hate to eat it in front of you and all… 'Course, you could probably have some if you ate solid foods." She chuckled to herself as she unwrapped the food.

Fang lay on the ground, his eyes barely open and his chest barely rising and falling. A tank from above him ran a tube down, along the wall, and into a clear mask that covered his mouth and nose. He also had an I.V. drip, along with a décor of several bracelets regarding his stats and other various barcodes of information.

He was clad in a pair of simple, light grey, cloth pants; the rest of him was exposed to the cool, open air. Still, he was motionless. Not even goose bumps, which adorned Sarah's skin from the cool air, appeared on his body. His previously buzzed short black hair had grown back, and now shagged about his face. All in all, he looked more like an insane asylum patient than a brain dead experiment. Of course, those two things could also be more related than one would think.

"Oh, maaan," Sarah moaned as she took a bite. "This… is… so… gooooood…" she breathed. She opened her water and took a long dreg. "Ahh." She glanced at Fang. No response. She sighed and ruffled his hair like she did every day she ate lunch with him. "You are so pathetic, Fang… Look at you. You have no control over your own body, you're completely null, and you probably have no clue what I'm even talking about. It's a shame. You may never recover." She sighed again and took another drink. "Maybe it was a mistake to bring you back," she murmured.

She stretched and whined quietly when her back cracked in protest. "Yeesh. I need to get out more often," she whispered. "I mean, I know this place is huge," she said. "But, still, it gets cramped when all you see are these little peons runnin' around in lab coats. Talk about repetitive." She took another large bite out of her sandwich. "Oh, that reminds me. I heard Kulivok talking about you the other day to the big boss," she gossiped. "Yeah, it wasn't anything interesting, though. So, don't get your hopes up." She took another bite. "Still, I can't help but notice how much you remind me of mister Head Honcho. Who knows, maybe they used his DNA to make you…?" she mused.

"Well, I suppose that's a conversation for another time," she said, finishing off her sandwich and water. She leaned over one more time to ruffle his hair. It had become a tradition for her. She had always loved his hair, especially when it was caked with blood. That was one of the reasons she kept hoping he'd snap out of the stupor he was in. She knew they'd put him through tests and training that would injure him on more than one occasion. She was just itching to see his long, sleek, black hair covered in blood again. So, she ruffled his hair, the closest thing she came to genuine, non-insane infatuation. "Bye," she said, and moved away.

But, suddenly, she stopped.

With eyes wide open she slowly turned her head to face Fang. He was the same as before, her hand on his head, only… this time…

…he was leaning into her hand.

She quickly drew her hand away. His tired eyes didn't open or close any more than they were, and they remained unfocused, but she was able to catch the slightest tightening of his jaw. She was also able to catch the small movement of his head towards her still slightly outstretched hand. Her wide eyes were only matched by one thing…

…her even wider grin.

So, he was awake.

-+-

WOOHOO! So, that was a kinda fun chapter to write. Sorry it took forever! I had senior stuffs I had to do.


	17. Let's Go For A Walk

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Sixteen: Let's Go For A Walk

Ivan Kulikov ran as fast as he could down the halls. His footsteps echoed off the blank walls as the sound of his heavy breathing filled his ears. He knew he had to get to the cell as fast as he possibly could. He had just heard the biggest news of his life, after all.

Fang was awake.

He skidded to a halt before the lift lock door and burst inside. There were already several white coats inside, all conversing and comparing notes. A few were hovered over the still form of Fang. Ivan pushed rudely through them.

"Get out of my way," he growled. "This is _my_ subject after all." He pushed through a couple more and made it to Fang. Much to his distaste, Sarah King was there, Fang's head in her lap. She kept running her hands through his hair and was whispering in his ear. Ivan felt his blood pressure rise. He'd have Fang's head shaved again, just to spite Sarah, if he had the power. The young woman constantly annoyed him.

"So, you're here. About time," Sarah said, not looking up from Fang. Ivan tried his best to control his temper.

"What do you think you're doing," he said evenly. Sarah continued to pet Fang.

"I was eating lunch with him like always," she responded. "I always pet his hair like this… It's just so lovely…"

"Get to the point!" Ivan shouted. Sarah threw a nasty glare in his direction, which he equally returned.

"When I pet his head he leaned into my hand," she stated, clearly displeased with Ivan. He could care less. After sending half the other white coats flying from his shoves he managed to squat down by Sarah and Fang.

"So… You're saying that he responded. To you, that is, right?" Ivan questioned, more honest than angry. Sarah nodded and returned her gaze to Fang's partially closed eyes. Ivan averted his gaze from Fang's unfocused eyes and cleared his throat. "Alright!" he shouted. The white coats jumped in surprise. "Everyone out! This is a closed cell! Get back to your real jobs!" After a few protesting grumbles the white coats slowly filed out. Finally, the door clicked shut behind the last one.

"He responded…" Ivan said to himself. He pulled out the small tester kit from his lab coat. Sarah watched intently as he removed several tools, some intricate, others cruel. He began to record simple vital stats. Sarah continued to watch with mild interest as he went through the procedure. All she could think of was the fact that Fang had responded to her. It made her feel special… powerful.

Ivan then grabbed his neck and lifted him from Sarah's lap.

"Hnn…"

Both Ivan and Sarah froze. The sound was breathy, barely heard through the oxygen mask. But, a look in Sarah's eyes confirmed it for Ivan. They both heard it. Ivan looked down at the limp figure in his arms.

Fang's eyes were fully closed now, and his eyebrows were drawn slightly together, displaying tension on his face. Neither Ivan nor Sarah moved, waiting patiently for any movement. Ivan lifted his gaze, meeting Sarah's. Her eyes were just as wide as his. Quickly, he looked down at Fang, waiting.

The tension on Fang's face suddenly changed. His face relaxed, but didn't stay as such for long. Slowly, but surely, his look became pained. With each passing second pain filled his face, evident even though his eyes were closed. Then, a small tear seeped from his closed eyes. It rolled off of his cheek and onto Ivan's hand. The scientist stared at it for a second before returning his astonished gaze to Fang's face. Sure enough, more tears began to fall from his eyes.

Suddenly, Sarah leaned forward and wiped a tear from his cheek. She slowly brought her hand up and licked the tear from her fingertips. With a soft smile Sarah leaned in, her face extremely close to Fang's. She lowered her mouth to his ear and whispered softly.

"You have no more of those evil strings choking you, now. It feels so good to cry, doesn't it?" she whispered. She lifted herself up and smiled at Ivan. "With those black strings gone, he is no longer choking. It must be nice," she said softly, a faraway look in her eyes. "You should have seen those strings, Ivan… They were choking the very soul out of him…" She stroked Fang's hair once more. Like before, he leaned into her hand. "Don't worry, Fang… You don't have to choke anymore."

-+-

Sarah was grinning from ear to ear as she lifted the lock on Fang's cell. It had been a whole month since his first signs of awareness. She had seen him nearly every hour of every day since then, putting herself into his life as much as possible. She knew she was the reason he had woke up, so she gloated in that fact and put herself near him as she could. Besides, it irritated Ivan and she reveled in that.

"Mornin'!" she said happily as she closed the door behind her. Fang simply sat in the corner, his knees to his chest. He did, however, look up at her. She smiled and walked over to sit by him. "How are you today?" she asked pleasantly. Fang didn't respond, much like she expected. He was still sickly thin and looked like he hadn't slept since he woke up. The most she or Ivan got out of him was a breathy moan. Still, even Ivan admitted that Fang had taken a liking to her.

"Well, it's nice out today, so I figured we'd go for a walk," she said. Fang's eyes flitted between the door and her. His movements were still slow; in fact, pretty much everything about Fang was sluggish, but his eyes were faster than ever. They constantly darted between objects and people, almost as if trying to sense if there was danger or not. Ivan hoped this was due to his brain rapidly growing, and not some seizure-induced twitch.

Sarah unfolded the grey shirt she had been carrying and handed it to Fang. "Here, put this on. I may totally adore your lovely chest, but the others would get jealous. So, you better cover up!" she instructed, grinning. Fang looked at the shirt, his expression curious. Sarah waited patiently, knowing that this action was the first of many that Fang would have to re-teach himself.

Slowly, but surely, Fang reached for the shirt and held it between his two hands. With much care and slow going he pulled the shirt over his head. He only put his arm through the wrong hole once, which astounded Sarah. He was recovering much quicker than anticipated. "Very good, Fang!" she said, standing. She extended her hand in his direction. "Come on, now! Take my hand and we'll go for a walk!" She flashed him her brightest smile.

It seemed to be enough, for Fang reached forward and grabbed her hand. Sarah quickly hoisted him up, but the motion scared Fang and he clung to her tightly. Sarah laughed. "Now, now, it's all right. Try standing on your own. No cheating!" She stepped away from Fang, allowing him to keep his own balance. He wobbled slightly, but a look akin to determination flashed in his eyes and he finally steadied himself. Sarah clapped her hands in approval. "Very good!" she exclaimed, ruffling Fang's hair. He closed his eyes a moment, going with Sarah's hand as she pulled away. "Now, all you need to do is walk with me," she said, hooking her arm around Fang's. "Like this," she said, taking a step. For some reason, walking was much easier than standing.

"Okay, Fang. Now, I want you to extend your wings. It will help you with balance, I promise. And I bet it'll feel good to stretch 'em!" Sarah commanded. Each sentence she said sounded polite, but she was exercising her complete control over Fang. And, just as expected, Fang slowly stretched out his massive, dark wings to their full size. Sarah took a moment to marvel at them, imagining just how lovely they must look when covered in blood. Finally, she took another step forward. "Well done, Fang. Now, let's go on out walk."

-+-

"Aaaahh! No! Stop it, Nudge! Aaaahahha!"

Angel's childish laughter echoed off of the trees around Dr. Martinez's home as she and Nudge sprayed each other with the hose. Total ran and slid along the slick grass while the girls continually soaked themselves. Ella, clad in a bathing suit like the other girls, was filling up water balloons at the spicket. "You guys think the hose is fun… Wait until you try these!" she exclaimed, placing all of the water balloons in a bucket and running to Nudge and Angel.

Max was sitting on the porch, a laptop on the table and a drink in her hand. Aside from the occasional flashbacks of her time at Anne Walker's house, the entire scene was incredible refreshing. Dr. Martinez approached Max with a tray of sliced watermelon.

"Well, now… It looks like the girls are enjoying the warm weather! Where's Gazzy? I would think he'd love the idea of water balloons," she said, gazing out at the watery lawn. Max sighed and rubbed one of her eyes.

"I tried to get him to come outside," she said, still feeling like a failure for it. "He said he wasn't feeling well and he'd come out if he felt any better." She glanced over at Dr. Martinez. "He's a terrible liar, but I just don't know what to do," she said. She glanced back out at Nudge, Angel, Ella, and Total. It was as if their lives had never had any troubles at all.

Of course, if the Gasman would get in on it then the scene would be… somewhat complete. She sighed again. He'd become such a recluse; he avoided the others, almost never left his room, and he was eating very little. Of course, they've had to scrounge for food before, so Max knew he would survive, but that wasn't good enough. She was failing to bring him out of the depression he'd fallen into. If only there was some way to repair the bond that he'd had with… Iggy.

Still thinking of the name brought back the tightening feeling in her chest, but she was growing stronger. She could now keep a front up in front of the other at all times and for as long as possible. Soon, she hoped there wouldn't be a need for a front and that she'd have honestly become strong, that she'd heal the ache in her chest, that she wouldn't curl up into a ball of misery at night.

"I've threatened him, y'know," Max said. Dr. Martinez turned her gaze to Max. "I mean, I've tried to get him to talk to me, to yell at me, anything… Gazzy's just not… _Gazzy_ anymore," she whispered. It was a painful thing to say, but truthful. Perhaps, for the hundredth night in a row, she try would try to get him to talk. Maybe this was the night he'd finally open up.

"May I ask what you're reading?" Dr. Martinez asked suddenly. Max looked back at the computer screen and smiled.

"This is his blog," she said. "Fang's blog." Dr. Martinez was silent, obviously not sure of what to say. "His poetry… Heh, if only I had really read this, I mean _really_ read it… Maybe I would have seen his pain sooner. It's all here, just masked behind pretty words and metaphors."

"Max," Dr. Martinez said, placing a hand on Max's shoulder. "I don't think you could have ever seen what was coming, dear," she said gently. Max nodded, but still felt otherwise. Who knew, maybe her mother was right, but none of it mattered now. Both Iggy and Fang were gone and there was nothing she could do about it. Her Flock still was what was most important to her and she would do whatever it took to protect them, even if she failed two of them already.

-+-

The fountain behind Sarah and Fang roared quietly in the background as the two sat and enjoyed the sunlight. Fang outstretched his dark wings, enjoying the warmth that his cell lacked. Sarah watched him intently.

"You know… now that you can walk we'll have to begin your training soon," she said. Fang looked into her eyes, an eyebrow raised. Sarah smiled and patted his cheek. "Don't worry, you'll understand soon enough." Fang sighed, and went back to gazing up at the clouds, his expression content.

Sarah, on the other hand, was too busy calculation objectives to enjoy the skies. Soon, Fang would regain his communicative skills. Once that was done, he'd be placed into training, which Sarah would be allowed to observe and conduct. She trembled with delight. Perhaps she'd get to see his glorious body covered with blood sooner than she though.

-+-

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT, IN ONE DAY, IT WILL HAVE BEEN A WHOLE FREAKING YEAR SINCE I LAST UPDATED!?!?!?

If you wish to fry me up and eat me, I completely understand. I am SOOOO sorry for taking so freaking long to update… A whole year! Tomorrow! I couldn't let that happen… I had to update… FOR THE SAKE OF MY FAITHFUL REVIEWERS! T^T


	18. Unlock

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Seventeen: Unlock

Max knocked gently on the door to the Gasman's room. "Hey," she called gently. "Are you still awake?" There was no response, so she risked opening the door and poking her head in. "Gazzy?"

Laying there with his arms behind his head and his eyes on the ceiling was the Gasman. He didn't respond as Max took a couple steps inside and closed the door behind her. She simply watched him, her gaze intent as well and kind. Max was tired of his dodgy behavior. She was willing to wait.

As if to answer her wishes, Gazzy sighed and turned his head in her direction. "What'cha need, Max?" he asked. Max walked over and sat on the edge of his bed.

"I came to ask how you are, Gasser… You didn't come outside today even when we mentioned water balloons were in use. I figured you'd love the chance to launch water grenades at the girls," she said. She tried a smile, but the Gasman didn't return it.

"I wasn't feeling well," he said. He went back to looking at the ceiling. Suddenly, a thought crossed Max's mind.

"Gazzy, how old are you?" she asked. This question obviously surprised the Gasman for he focused on her for the first time that night.

"I'm ten… Why?" he said, clearly missing what she was getting at. Max sighed and shook her head.

"You're only ten? Sheesh, you walk around here like an old man on his deathbed. I thought you were at _least_ in your late fifties, early sixties or something," she said, still shaking her head. This got a bit of a rise out of the Gasman for he tried to suppress his smile. Max caught it, though, and felt a flicker of hope inside her. "Y'know-"

"I'm sorry, Max," Gazzy interrupted. Max abruptly silenced herself and watching him, begging silently that he continued. "I'm sorry that… I've been such a jerk to you and everyone and everything…" Max placed a hand on his knee to show she was willing to listen. The Gasman paused a moment and sat up so that he was beside Max. "It's so hard because… I know you still love him," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Max's breath caught; she knew who he was talking about.

"I loved Iggy and Fang very much," she forced out, her voice stronger than she anticipated. The Gasman shook his head.

"No, you loved Iggy, but you still love Fang," he replied, his voice as firm as Max's. "I… I'm sorry, but I can't love him anymore, Max. I've tried, but I just can't." His shoulders sagged and Max saw just the hint of tears in his eyes.

She didn't waste any time turning and enveloping Gazzy in a warm hug. He returned it and cried quietly in her arms. Max stroked his hair. "Gazzy, why didn't you talk to me sooner?" she asked. The Gasman sniffed.

"Because… I didn't want you to hurt anymore. I'm not a grown up yet, but I know that it hurts," he said. "Max, I know you love him, but I hate him… I hate him so much!" He clenched his fists so hard that they were shaking. "When you came back and told us he was dead… I wasn't even sad, Max. In fact, it made me hate him even more because he refused you!" He looked up, his big blue eyes full of tears. "We all knew it, Max! We knew how you felt about him and he _still_ tried to hurt you! He was a monster and, even though he's dead, I STILL HATE HIM!" He went back to burying his face in Max's shirt, his sobs loud and uncontrolled.

Max continued to ran her hands through his hair, but she said nothing. There was no way she could completely heal the Gasman's wounds. Fang had hurt him as much and he's hurt Max, all completely unintentionally. Max couldn't help but wonder what more damage could have been done if he'd actually come home with her. Who else would he have hurt, purely by accident? Angel? Ella? Dr. Martinez? Anybody within a five miles radius?

"Well," Max said, drawing in a deep breath. This was going to be hard to say. "He's not around… to hurt anyone anymore," she forced out. She felt that familiar ache in her chest she got whenever she thought of Fang. Gazzy looked up at her and wiped his eyes.

"But that doesn't make it better," he said. Max smiled sadly and nodded.

"I know, Gazzy, but it's the truth. I did what I had to… to protect you all. I know that I wasn't able to… save _all _of us… And, believe me, it's not Fang's fault for that-"

"I know!" the Gasman said, frustrated. "I know that it wasn't Fang's fault he was like that! I know it wasn't Fang's fault he was a monster, but I don't care! I can't forgive him! Iggy… He's gone forever now! Forever!" He started drying all over again and Max continued to hold him. He wasn't going to fully understand or possibly ever forgive Fang, but, much to Max's own surprise, that didn't matter to her anymore. She didn't care if Gazzy ever forgave Fang for what he did. Fang wasn't going to be around to hear his anger or hurt anyone else, so it was a waste to be upset over it.

"Gasser?" Max said, tilting the Gasman's head up. "I know that you… hate Fang. You have a reason to, but what good is that going to do? He's gone, Gazzy. So is Iggy. Sitter alone and dwelling on those two will only make you hurt more. Believe me, I know." She tried another smile. This one was genuine. "So, I need you to be my second in command now, alright? I can't herd these crazy girls and a talking dog all by myself. I could always ask Nudge to do it, but you and Iggy did so much for me… you're already prepared to protect them. Can you do that for me, Gasman?"

Gazzy stopped his sniffling and looked up at Max, as if trying to detect any deceit. Max was being totally honest, though, and Gazzy seemed to eventually accept that. He sniffed one more time and nodded. "Yeah…"

"Good!" Max said, sighing in relief for effect. "Alright. Time for bed, you ruffian. Leadership duties start tomorrow!" she said. The Gasman smiled and detangled himself from Max and crawled into his covers. Max walked to the door and smiled back at the Gasman. "Goodnight, Gazzy," she said gently. Gazzy 'hmmed' in response, already asleep due to emotional exhaustion.

As Max made her way down the hall she found herself feeling better as well. Now that the Gasman was on the mend… perhaps they all could finally heal from the wounds left behind by Fang. Her chest ached again, but only slightly. Yes… Perhaps they would all finally heal…

-+-

"Again!" Sarah shouted through the intercom. She watched with morbid interest as her new obsession, Fang, was faced with yet another batch of ferocious flyboys that were unleashed on him. Fang was panting, bleeding from the temple and side and one of his wings dragged uselessly at his side. She'd have to have him patched up before the next training session. She almost felt remorse; she was finally getting to see the blood covered Fang she loved.

Meanwhile, Fang was having opposite thoughts about his bloody situation. As three new flyboys launched themselves at him he could only think about lying down and sleeping. His wing was in agony and he couldn't move it without the entire left side of his body hurting. Ever dodge and jolt he made sent shivers of pain through him. Blood was blinding him in his right eye and he was certain one of his ribs was broken. Still, Sarah said it was best if he did it again. Sarah knew everything.

As the first flyboy reached him he rolled to the right, avoiding pressure on his left wing, and sent a foot flying upward into the flyboy's stomach. The force exerted by his kick set the machine-eraser flying into the opposing wall. The machine erupted with a loud explosion, littering the training area in smoke and debris. As shards of metal sailing through the air, one embedded itself in Fang's left shoulder.

"Damnit," he breathed. Now his entire left side was useless. Still, the smoke gave him an advantage. Moving as far into the smoke as he could without suffocating, Fang became completely still, willing himself to blend with the smoke and scraps of metal. Quickly, he vanished, as if becoming one with the smoke.

The flyboys flew through it, unable to see Fang. "_Turn on thermal scanning_," one of the machine droned out. Fang growled. He had no time.

Quickly, he launched himself from nothingness and tackled the back of a flyboy. He gripped the hinging at the base of the machine's skull and yanked as hard as he could. The head of the flyboy groaned and pulled free. As the hinged bounced off the mechanical spine a coil snapped, jerking Fang's index finger and dislocating it.

"Aaah!" he shouted, cradling his hand. Now he was truly out of commission, with both arms in pain. Still, there was one more flyboy to take care of and he was closing in on Fang and the crippled machine in his hands. Fang reached around with his left hand, straining his wing in the process. He didn't care, though, because this was the only way to dispose of the flyboy.

He gripped the gun of the decapitated mecha-eraser and fired repeatedly at the oncoming flyboy. The enemy fired shots of its own, but the hulking body of Fang's flyboy protected him. It was likewise for the opposite flyboy, but Fang's instinctual reflexes were far superior to his enemy's. Taking precise aim Fang fired at the exposed wires of the flyboy's neck. There was another explosion that sent Fang and his flyboy flying against the wall. The metal body smashed against Fang, snapping two more of his ribs.

"Quick!" came Sarah's voice over the intercom. "Clear the room and find the subject!"

Fang's mind was in a haze from being slammed against the concrete wall, but he was vaguely aware that the broken flyboy was being lifted off of him. He was relieved; his two or three broken ribs were nearly ready to puncture his lung.

"Fang… Oh, Faaaaaannnnnng," came Sarah's sickly sweet voice. Fang's eyes fluttered open and he looked around blindly for her. A tan blob came into view. "Oh, Fang! Good, you're awake! You took quite the beating there. C'mon, let's go get you fixed up," she said, grabbing Fang's bad arm and lifting him up.

"Nngg!" he grumbled, trying to suppress his groans. Sarah patted his arm affectionately.

"Now, now. Whining won't make it feel any better. We'll head over to Alex's and he'll fix you up, I promise. C'mon now," she said, smiling. Fang nodded, following her out of the training room. The duo was trailed by a couple of tall men in security-type uniforms, but they were the only ones who dared near the two. The other occupants of the hallways went well out of their way to avoid them. They were dangerous.

They rounded the corner and stopped at the second door on the right. The door's label was titled 'Dr. Oli – Medical Consultant'. Sarah pushed open the door without bothering to knock.

Inside a balding man with large spectacles was bent over a mound of paper. Sarah's sudden barging caught him by surprise and he knocked over the stack. "Jesus!" he exclaimed, clutching at his chest. "Miss King! I… I didn't expect you s-so soon," he said, struggling to regain his composure. Sarah yawned and pulled Fang in. The winged hybrid groaned in protest.

"Yes, well, here we are. We have some patching up that needs to be done, Alex," she commanded. Dr. Oli nodded and walked to a door on the opposite side of the room.

"Of course, right this way," he said, pushing open the door. The room he revealed possessed a steel table in the center, low enough for someone to climb onto and lay on, and was surrounded by several instruments and tools made for medical work. All sorts of x-rays and graphs were tacked to the walls. Aside from that, the only other décor was the smattering of blood in various places.

Sarah led Fang in and they began the all-too familiar chore of healing him up. Fang climbed onto the table, his bloody patient's uniform almost completely red with the substance. Of course, some of the staining could have also belonged to the oil inside the flyboys he'd battled earlier. Regardless, his blood was already dripping onto the metal table. He tilted forward slightly and Sarah caught him, allowing him to rest his head on her shoulder. His breathing was ragged, but he didn't complain. Sarah didn't like complaining.

"Let's see what the damage is this time," Dr. Oli mumbled as he put on some surgical gloves. He grabbed Fang's left wing and pulled it out to its full extension. Fang gasped and grit his teeth, but was otherwise complacent. "Well, his wing is shattered in several places… This will probably hurt the most for the healing process. Now," He pulled Fang's left arm out. There were more silent gasps. "There's a piece of shrapnel in his should I have to remove before I can give him the serum. Also… Oh, that looks nasty," he said, referring to Fang's dislocated finger. Fang had his right arm wrapped tightly around his stomach. "Alright, now… Let me see your arm." The doctor moved around to Fang's right side and slowly extracted Fang's away from his stomach.

"Gyah!" Fang cried out, pulling away from the doctor. This only caused more pain from his broken ribs. He went back to leaning his head on Sarah's shoulder, panting in exhaustion.

"Well, several of his ribs are broken, that's for sure. There's also some discoloration here along his elbow, so it may have been hyper-extended at one point. Hmph. All in all this is probably the worst condition that he's even been in… at least, for when you've brought him to me," Dr. Oli said. He left Fang's side and ventured off to one of his many stations that held a variety of cruel looking tools. Instead of grabbing a tool, he reached into one of the drawers and withdrew a syringe. The liquid inside was a glowing, luminescent blue color. Dr. Oli tapped the syringe and pushed on the end until a tiny bit of the fluid came out.

"Fang," Sarah said, grabbing either side of his head and making him look at her. His eyes were losing focus. "You're going to be healed now, okay? I know it hurts, but soon you'll be aaaalllll better, mmkay?" She smiled widely at him. Fang nodded, unable to smile in return.

"Okay, Fang. Hold still…" Dr. Oli instructed. He jammed the needle into Fang's neck and injected the contents. Fang was borderline unconscious, so he gave no protest. "There you go… Soon you'll be just fine. Sarah?" he asked. She perked up and eyed him curiously. "Time to lay him down."

"Oh, right," Sarah said, recognition flickering in her eyes. She and the doctor laid Fang gently down on the metal table, watching intently as his breathing became slower and shallower. Finally, his breathing stopped altogether. Sarah and Dr. Oli waited patiently.

"GYAAH!" Fang shouted, suddenly coming to life.

"Hold him down!" Dr. Oli shouted, grabbing Fang's legs. Sarah grabbed his arms, enjoying the up close view of his pained face. He continued to cry out, arching his back as the serum slowly mended his body.

"Please! Please!" Fang cried, trying to twist away from their grip. Sarah leaned closer to him.

"Please, what, Fang?" she whispered, smiling sweetly.

Fang's eyes opened to reveal black, dilated pupils. He whimpered and gave her the most agonizing expression she had ever seen on him.

"Please… kill me…"

Sarah gasped and looked around her as the air began to ever so slightly shimmer. She saw, if only for a split second, the shadows of the room begin to dance. It didn't last long, though, as Fang began to calm down, his breathing slowing slightly and his body convulsing less. His finger began to mend itself while Dr. Oli removed the chunk of metal in his should so that it could heal as well. Fang's wing began to stitch itself up and Sarah heard the distinct crack of ribs reforming.

It didn't matter though. No, none of it mattered. The healing, the pain Fang was facing, the simple plea to kill him…

All that mattered was that Fang was finally starting to unlock his nightmares.

-+-

OH YEAH! TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY! YEAH! I'm amazing, I know… But, yeah. That's how I roll.


	19. Predator

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Maximum Ride novels. They belong to James Patterson and so on. Any other characters not referenced prior in the books belong to me and any other resemblances and strictly coincidental and not intended.

Can't Cry: Gestört

Chapter Eighteen: Predator

Fang's eyes fluttered open to reveal a bland, white ceiling. The sight wasn't foreign to him; his cell had a similar ceiling. Still, he knew he wasn't in his cell. He slowly sat up, registering the tiny aches and pains in various places of his body.

"Ah, so you're awake?"

Fang jerked around just as Sarah popped into his vision. She smiled and placed a hand on his head. "Alex said the pain should go away very soon, but I don't think we'll have to worry. You're a tough kid." She trailed her hand down his cheek and to his shoulder where a large scar from the chuck on metal was freshly exposed. "I do love, though, that the serum doesn't heal scars…" She ran her fingertip along the scar, watching with delight as goose bumps rose on Fang's skin.

"Do you like scars as much as blood, Sarah?" Fang asked, leaning towards her. Sarah paused, seeming thoughtful, but eventually shook her head.

"No, blood looks even more beautiful on you than your scars. Scars may tell a story, but blood is so much more personal," she said, her eyes closing in thought.

"Maybe," Fang said, shifting to dangle his legs over the edge of the table. "Maybe you can tell me the story behind _these_ scars?" he asked. He lifted his arms, his bare forearms facing up. Sarah looked intently at the several razor straight lines that littered his skin. A few here and there were jagged and uncontrolled, but the others were delicate and deep. Sarah moved her fingers gently over the healed wounds.

"They're beautiful," she whispered.

"But… what are they? I don't remember having them," Fang pressed. "I know you said I was born here… but what about these scars? I never got them in a training session… Sarah?" He watched as Sarah inspected the scars. She seemed fascinated by them. He didn't know how long she observed them and he was about to say something when Sarah suddenly spoke up.

"What do you remember about your healing after training yesterday?" she asked, peering up at Fang with inquisitive brown eyes. Fang blinked a couple times before searching his memories.

"Well, you brought me here and Dr. Oli injected the serum into me… and I blacked out like normal?" He looked at her, hoping it was the right answer. Sarah shook her head.

"You said something to me just before you blacked out, do you remember what it was?" She went back to gazing at Fang's scars, tracing every single one delicately. Fang resumed his pondering, but as much as he tried to he couldn't think of anything.

"I'm sorry," he said, dropping his gaze. Sarah glanced up at him and withdrew her hand. Fang hated to disappoint her.

"Oh, well, that's alright!" she said, walking over towards the door. Afraid she was leaving without him, Fang jumped from the table and walked towards her. She turned and smiled. "Oh, relax. I'm not leaving you. I just wanted to give you these," she stated, turning around and putting a pile of clothes into Fang's arms. "You did so well during training yesterday that I thought a wardrobe upgrade was in order. Besides, you ruined your clothes anyways."

Fang glanced down at his clothes to see that they were horribly blood stained. With a quick glance at Sarah he set the clothes on the table and inspected them; a pair of dark, straight-leg jeans, black boxers, socks, a simple black t-shirt, and black converse. He looked at Sarah with wide eyes, obviously surprised at the deed. She waved her hand dismissively.

"Oh, believe me, it was no trouble to come by. And every bit you rip, destroy, or bloody up can be easily replaced." She leaned against the doorway. "So, go on… Put it on."

Fang glanced at the clothes, back to Sarah, and back to the clothes again. After a minute he finally gripped the edges of his bloodied shirt, pulled his wings through, and took it off. Sarah inhaled sharply at his physique, but said nothing more. She was distracted by the massive amount of scars he had seemed to collect ever since they started training him. He was beautiful.

Fang proceeded to remove his pants, feeling only a tinge of modesty around Sarah. She had been with him ever since he woke up… He couldn't hide anything from her. Still, Sarah wasn't staring at Fang's exposure; she was cataloguing the numerous scars that decorated his legs. Fang quickly slipped on the boxers and jeans, feeling much less invaded once he was covered up. Next, he squeezed his wings through the slits in the shirt as he pulled it over his head. Lastly, he laced up the converse and stood before Sarah in his new garb.

"Well," she said, clearly pleased with his appearance. "You look like a new man. C'mon," she said, grabbing his arm. She lead him out of the doctor's office and back into the hallways. Once again, people went about their way, avoiding the two as much as possible, but some stopped and stared as Fang made his way down the halls. Most of the staring passersby were female and Sarah knew why. Fang was a beautiful creature.

-+-

"_One, two, no one hides from you… Three, four, bathe in the gore… Five, six, better get your fix… Seven, eight, got a hunger to sate… Nine, ten, never be sane again…_"

"_One, two, no one loves you… Three, four, you are no more… Five, six, death's coming quick… Seven, eight, it's me they hate… Nine, ten, there is no Heaven…_"

"_One, two, no one hides from you… Three, four, bathe in the gore… Five… six…"_

_-+-_

"Gyaah!" Fang shouted, waking with a start. His pulse was racing and his body was covered in sweat. After a quick glance around and a moment to calm his nerves he deduced that he wasn't under attack and flopped back down on the cot. He didn't notice as the shadows of the room settled themselves. Instead he ran a hand through his hair, trying to piece together what just happened. He knew he was dreaming, as he usually dreamed every night. This dream was different, though.

He was standing in a field, completely alone. A sense of freedom ran through him and he couldn't help but stretching his wings. Then, something washed over him, ridding the feeling of freedom and replacing it with apprehension… and fear.

And then… that voice… That childish, sickly sweet, menacing, little voice… He had never felt so afraid before, not even when he was fighting six or more flyboys. This voice was cold, dark… and familiar.

-+-

Max's eyes jolted open.

The night was silent, almost dead. She listened patiently in the darkness. Something had awakened her from a fairly deep sleep. She waited.

Suddenly, a tiny yet piercing scream ripped through the night. Max launched herself from her bed, knowing instantly who the scream belonged to. She ran through the halls of her mother's home and all but ripped the door to Angel's room on its hinges.

Nudge was beside Angel, trying to calm her, but the younger girl refused to stop her crying and shrieking. Dr. Martinez appeared in the doorway and turned the light on.

"What's going on!?" she asked, clearly alarmed. "Is everyone all right?" She approached Max. "Max…"

"Angel's just having a nightmare," she said, holding onto Angel. "Hey, Angel, I need you to wake up now, alright? C'mon, baby. Wake up." Angel pushed against Max; her eyes squeezed shut save the tears that seeped out. Ella and Gazzy approached the doorway at the same time, both wearing equally groggy expressions.

"What's wrong?" the Gasman asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Angel's having a nightmare and she won't wake up!" Nudge exclaimed as her own eyes started to tear up. Max sighed, already growing frustrated due to her sudden awakening.

"Angel!" she shouted, giving the girl a quick shake. "Wake up _now_!" Angel quieted suddenly and she went limp in Max's arms.

"EEP! You killed her!" Nudge shouted, tears springing from her eyes. Max rolled her eyes and patted Angel's back.

"Relax, Nudge. She's still asleep," Max said. She leaned Angel back. The youngster's eyes fluttered open and she peered around her. There was still some fear in them.

"M-Max?" she asked, looking up at Max with big, teary, blue eyes. Max gave her a reassuring smile. "Oh, Max!" Angel said, burying her face in Max's shirt and beginning to sob all over again. Max rubbed Angel's back while thinking about what condition her clothes were going to be if any more people cried on her. "Max, it was awful," Angel said, her voice tiny and afraid.

"What happened?" Gazzy asked, sitting by his sister. Angel sniffed a couple of time before turning towards the Gasman.

"I was… I was alone. At first it was nice… I wanted to fly… But then she started singing!" Angel cried, more tears falling.

"Singing?" Max asked, curious as to Angel's strange dream making her this upset. Angel nodded.

"Y-yeah… I was in a field at night all alone… I was scared at first, but then I wanted to fly because it was pretty. I was gonna fly, but then someone started singing! She was hurting me, Max! She was trying to kill me!" She sniffled again and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry… I guess it wasn't something to cry about…"

"It's okay, Angel," Dr. Martinez said gently. "Dreams don't always make sense. Sometimes we're afraid for now reason." She patted Angel's head. Angel sniffed again and went to say something, but stopped. Slowly, she turned back to Max.

"Max?" she asked. Max's expression was intense, focused on something far away as her brain ran through several thoughts at once.

"Angel," she said suddenly, looking directly into her eyes. "I need you to tell me what the girl was singing. Can you do that?"

"Max-" Dr. Martinez began, but Max held up her hand.

"This is very important, Angel. Tell me what the girl was singing," Max instructed. Angel looked down and chewed on her bottom lip.

"Okay…" she whispered after a moment. The others were completely silent, waiting for Angel to begin. Angel took a breath and began singing. "One, two, no one hides from you… three, four, bathe… bathe in the gore… f-five, six, better get your fix… seven… Max?" Angel paused her song, looking into Max's wide eyes. "Max, what's wrong?"

"Max?" Ella asked, clearly concerned with Max's expression. Max abruptly stood, setting Angel haphazardly by her brother, and rushed out of the room and down the hall to where the desktop computer was. She heard the tromping of feet heading towards her as she booted the computer up and waited impatiently for the screen to load.

"Max, what's going on?" Dr. Martinez asked.

"Please, just let me check something," Max growled, not meaning to sound angry. Still, she had to check… It was too much of a coincidence not to.

The screen finally booted up and she opened internet explorer, punching in a familiar web address. Immediately Fang's blog popped up. She quickly scrolled to the last entry. Her Flock whispered behind her, but she didn't bother listening. Instead she read Fang's last entry before he died.

_Hello every one._

_It's been forever, I know, but I've been busy with… well, dying, being tortured, and the like. I know that sounds bizarre… or does it? Think about it. I've been cataloguing the Flocks hare-brained journey for who knows how long now… does anything that happen to us seem out of the ordinary when it comes to our lives? I thought not._

_Anyways, if you all are truly curious as to what happened to me… then here's a little excerpt of the songs she used to sing in my head._

"_One, two, no one hides from you… Three, four, bathe in the gore… Five, six, better get your fix… Seven, eight, got a hunger to sate… Nine, ten, never be sane again…_"

_Yeah… sounds like a winner, huh?_

_Peace._

_Fang_

Max stared at the screen, reading the entry over and over again. The others were silent behind her, obviously thinking the same thoughts as she was. Max spun in the chair and looked into Angel's eyes again.

"Angel, you said you were in a field at night. Was the grass tall? Was there only one tree?" she asked. Angel blinked rapidly before answering.

"How did you know?" she breathed. Max sighed and leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes and trying to calm her spazzing mind. The others were obviously waiting for her to explain the significance of the field's characteristics and Fang's blog, but she was still processing the information. Angel had dreamt of… that place. Not only that, but she had heard a song that Max presumed could belong only to the girl Fang had… She shivered. Could it possibly mean…?

"Max?" Nudge said, touching her arm. Max opened her eyes and gazed at her expectant Flock. After a moment she sighed and leaned forward.

"The inside of Fang's mind was like that," she finally said. She heard a couple gasps, but continued. "It was where he went when he was… hurting himself, or in too much pain to handle. He also went there when his nightmares… when his nightmares got out." Max glanced at Angel. "That song belongs to the first girl that Fang ever consumed. She showed me into Fang's mind, hoping I could help her escape, I'm guessing… But, somewhere along the lines… I think she became sinister."

"What are you saying?" Ella asked. Max sighed again and rubbed her temples.

"Unless Angel heard the girl in Fang's head while he was still alive…" Max reasoned. Angel shook her head.

"I never ever heard any girl, Max," she replied. Max's chest constricted painfully as her mind conjured up radical hopes. Maybe… just maybe…

"Are you saying Fang is still alive?" Nudge said, being the one brave enough to say it out loud. Max looked at her with intensity, not willing to permit herself that one small inkling of hope. What if it all was just a coincidence? What if she was just chasing ghosts?

"I think he's still alive," Angel said, drawing everyone's attention. She kept her eyes on Max, though, trying to convey her feelings through her gaze. "I mean it… It felt alive to me, Max… I don't dream dead things."

-+-

Sarah hummed to herself as she skipped merrily down the halls. Today was another day for training and she was more than excited to see Fang in action. Strangely, though, he wasn't in his cell. When she'd shown up the cell door was slightly ajar, the inside dark. Sarah felt a tiny pang of hope; perhaps Fang was creating the darkness…?

But, she'd been wrong and the room was empty. So, she set out to find him. Luckily, she had half a mind to check the fountain, their usual resting place, and found Fang sitting on the edge with his knees tucked to his chin.

"Hello, my dear!" she said, taking a seat next to him. Fang didn't respond. Sarah watched with delight as the few shadows around him danced and formed the strangest of faces for only a split second. "Oh, my… Are you in a bad mood?"

"I had a nightmare," Fang replied, keeping his gaze forward. Sarah grinned and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I heard a voice and she sang to me… it was… frightening."

"Fang," Sarah said gently. "Do you want to know what you said to me the other day before you passed out?" Fang glanced at her inquisitively. She giggled. "Well, you asked me to kill you, of course!"

"To kill me!?" Fang asked, backing away from her slightly. Sarah laughed again in response.

"Yup. Obviously, I didn't kill you."

"I don't want to die, though," Fang retorted. "Why would I say something like that?" he asked. Sarah shrugged.

"No clue, but that doesn't matter. You need to prepare yourself for training anyways. Today is a special day; we're going to try out your abilities," she informed. Fang raised an eyebrow.

"I already mastered blending," he stated. As if to help prove his point he glanced down at his motionless hand which had become invisible against the concrete of the courtyard fountain. Sarah shook her head.

"You're looking at the wrong thing, my dear," she said. She used her hand and gently turned Fang's head to face the shadows. His eyes widened as he watched them. They barely twitched and flickered, forming shapes and then returning to their normal state.

"Am I…"

"Yes," Sarah said, her grin widening. "That's all you, Fang. Right now, as we speak, you're feeding off of these people's fears of you."

"But… I'm not doing anything to them," he said, glancing at the passing white coats. Sarah chuckled.

"Believe it or not, humans are instinctual creatures as well. Just as nature's creatures intuitively shy away from predators… Your very presence is frightening."

-+-

Okay, this was a long chapter… I'm sorry if it seemed like nothing happened… I couldn't stop writing and… I was frustrated today and let my emotions out in my writing. I swear things are going to start picking up again. This book is undoubtedly going to be longer than the first one…


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